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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25174336">Alternate Massachusetts Academy AU</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/danke_rose/pseuds/danke_rose'>danke_rose</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe: Massachusetts Academy [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Excalibur (Comic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Timeline, Alternate Universe, F/M, Friends to Lovers trope, Hellfire Club is a bad bad place, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Some later chapters include elements of dubcon or suggested dubcon or threatened dubcon, Will also include other characters, kurtty - Freeform, not Emma Frost friendly, those chapters will contain warnings in the notes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:29:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>91,388</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25174336</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/danke_rose/pseuds/danke_rose</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A large scale rewrite of my other Massachusetts Academy AU story.  This imagines, again, what might have happened if Kitty Pryde did not go with the X-Men and instead went to the Massachusetts Academy.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kitty Pryde/Kurt Wagner</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe: Massachusetts Academy [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2162607</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>68</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Massachusetts Academy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/21375616">Massachusetts Academy AU</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/danke_rose/pseuds/danke_rose">danke_rose</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I wanted to write a sequel, but it involved changing the ending of the original, and from there it ballooned into this largely rewritten story.  Much of the original has been changed, though some portions are as they were, especially the early chapters, through about 8 or 9.  The timeline has been altered, the ending is new, and at least one chapter was eliminated completely.  I hope that if you read the other one and are inclined to give this one a shot, it will be different enough to feel new and interesting.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Everything she needed for school was packed, stowed in the trunk of the Bentley. The chauffeur, silent and blank-faced behind dark glasses, held the door for her as she waved to her parents. They waved back, and disappeared into the house before the car door shut.</p><p>Kitty dropped her chin to her hand as she stared out the window at her house, mumbling, “Massachusetts Academy, here I come.”</p><p>Kitty was advanced among her peers, to the point she could graduate high school early if permitted to do so. Her parents advocated against it, insisting she wasn't mature enough for college yet. They did everything they could think of to keep her in public school, but when Xavier's came calling, everything changed. Kitty was pulled from the school she'd been at for years and shuffled from one school to another until her parents finally settled on one. When they interviewed with the head of the Massachusetts Academy, they seemed to be satisfied at last. The school had a curriculum that was both rigorous and interesting, and the headmistress, Emma Frost, assured her parents Xavier did not have access to the students or their records, and the school had the best security available.</p><p>Kitty leaned back in the plush seat and tried to enjoy the ride. Instead, her thoughts kept returning to the strange series of events that had led to her acceptance into the Massachusetts Academy. Early in her eighth grade year, Kitty developed migraines, and one night she woke in the middle of the living room floor with no idea how she got there. She thought she must have sleepwalked, and her mother took her to a doctor, who prescribed some medication. It didn't help. Several nights a week, she'd wake up downstairs, sometimes all the way down in the basement.</p><p>One afternoon after an especially bad day at school, she lay down on her bed to rest, one of those headaches beginning again behind her eyes. Suddenly she hit the floor in the living room. In a frenzy, she ran back upstairs and slammed the door shut. She huddled in the closet in panic until her mother came looking for her. Kitty didn't tell her what happened.</p><p>That night after dinner, and after she'd calmed down a bit, she did some research online and came to the conclusion that she must be a mutant.</p><p>She kept the secret, never telling her parents or anyone else. She was afraid of what they'd do if they knew what she was. Over time, she learned to control her power a little, practicing in the evenings after her homework was done. She had heard of mutants, mainly through a few news pieces her dad watched during dinner. The X-Men caused a stir when they saved the life of Reverend Stryker at an anti-mutant rally once. More often, though, they caused destruction and created any number of budgeting hassles for the city of New York. Her dad hated them, and Kitty was careful never to let him know what she was.</p><p>When the headmaster of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters came calling, her mother threw him out of the house. Kitty stayed in her room, listening to her mother scream that her daughter was <em>not</em> a mutant and how <em>dare</em> he come to her house and spread such lies about her. Kitty held the tears inside. He wasn't wrong about her, but there was nothing she could do—nothing she was willing to do, at least. When they left, she saw the man, whom she later realized was the Professor himself, catch her eye in the window. She didn't like him. He made her feel like he knew too much about her that he had no right to know.</p><p>Not long after that, her parents pulled her from the public school and put her in a private school. Her mother claimed Xavier had illegal access to public school records, and that was how he'd found her. The following semester, she was placed in another school, “safer and better.” Now she was going to her fourth school in two years. Her mother liked Ms. Frost, and her father had agreed that the school was good enough to get Kitty into MIT or Harvard or Yale. So here she was.</p><p>Sometimes Kitty wondered if her parents had figured out the truth about her, and if that was the <em>real</em> reason they were sending her away. Her mother said the scholarship Ms. Frost offered was nearly impossible to turn down. The distance wasn't too great, no worse than that awful Xavier's school. And Ms. Frost seemed like a kind and nurturing, but strict, headmistress, who put her students' needs first. Her promise to contact several excellent physicians who could help with her sleepwalking had sealed the deal.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>The ride was dull, mile after mile of trees and open land. The chauffeur said nothing, and the radio was silent. Kitty pulled out a book and stuck her headphones in to try and calm her nerves. She smiled at the idea of maybe being popular and having lots of friends. Maybe a hot boyfriend, too, one who didn't just want to get into her pants. Though, if he was <em>really</em> hot, maybe that wouldn't be so bad.</p><p>They stopped overnight at an upscale hotel, where Kitty had her own room. The chauffeur carried her bag up for her, and left his room number before excusing himself. She wished briefly that she had a friend to share the adventure with. Someone who would laugh at her stupid jokes and enjoy bouncing on the super-squishy mattress and talk to her when the lights were out so she wasn't straining to hear sounds of other hotel guests as they passed the room. She turned on the television and left it on all night instead.</p><p>They arrived at the Massachusetts Academy the following morning, just before noon. The building looked as friendly as a building can look. There was a green lawn out front with flowering shrubs, and a bright red door. The chauffeur began taking her bags out of the trunk as Kitty slowly ascended the steps. Before she could knock, the door opened, and a real butler ushered her inside.</p><p>“Vance will bring your belongings up shortly, Miss Pryde,” said the butler. He escorted her to a study just off the foyer, where Ms. Frost was waiting for her.</p><p>“Kitty, how lovely to see you again. How was the drive?”</p><p>“Long and boring.”</p><p>“I'm sure. I assure you, there will be nothing <em>boring</em> about your days at the Academy. I've arranged a class schedule for you based on what you were taking in Chicago. Please look it over and let me know if anything is in error. I've taken into consideration your advanced classes as well.”</p><p>Kitty scanned the schedule, noting the usual lineup of classes. One in particular, however, gave her pause.</p><p>“What's <em>Understanding Your Capabilities</em>?” Kitty said as she slid the schedule back to Ms. Frost.</p><p>Ms. Frost wore a white suit that hugged her figure and made her look like royalty. “Ah. That's the real reason you're here, Kitty. You're a mutant.”</p><p>Kitty felt the color draining from her face as she tried to stammer a response.</p><p>“Relax. Everyone here is a mutant, including myself and your instructors. I haven't told your parents. I know you're keeping this a secret for now.”</p><p>Kitty relaxed fractionally. “But...how do <em>you</em> know that?”</p><p>“I'm a telepath.”</p><p>“So you read my mind?” Kitty said, distressed at the idea of someone reaching into her mind without her permission.</p><p>“You were projecting your thoughts rather loudly, darling, and I couldn't help but hear them. I have a moral obligation not to read people's minds without their permission, but I can't help it if you throw your thoughts directly into my head.”</p><p>Kitty didn't know much about telepathy, but Ms. Frost seemed sincere, and her response reasonable. Kitty sat back down, wondering when she had stood up. “So what's the class about?”</p><p>“Exactly what it says. You'll learn more about your abilities and how you might wish to use them.”</p><p>“Okay. I guess that sounds all right.”</p><p>Ms. Frost stood and extended a gloved hand. “Wonderful. I thought you'd be pleased. Welcome to the Massachusetts Academy, Kitty. You're going to love the experience. Now let's get you to your room.”</p><p>She didn't have a roommate, as she'd expected she might. The room was small, but every piece of furniture was high-end, gleaming and polished. The linens on the bed were soft and in the closet were several sets of uniform pieces—blouses and skirts and jackets. There was a brand-new laptop charging on the desk, a flat-screen television mounted on the wall, and passwords to the school's online movie and television show accounts printed on a laminated card on the wall beside it.</p><p>“On the weekends, you'll be permitted to wear casual clothing, but during the school day, you will wear the uniform of the Academy.” Ms. Frost went over a few more rules, routines, and expectations. Kitty listened attentively. At last, Ms. Frost gave her a tour of the building. There was a gymnasium large enough to host professional basketball games, though Ms. Frost said only her students played in it. There were halls full of classrooms, some in session, and in the basement was the rec area. Several rooms, connected by large openings held games, a movie room, a kitchen stocked with snacks, and at the far end was an exercise area.</p><p>Back upstairs, they concluded the tour at the cafeteria, where Kitty's grade level was eating lunch. Ms. Frost walked among them and introduced Kitty to several groups of students, all of whom greeted her politely. Now that she was among the students, she began to notice that some of them had visible mutations. She tried not to stare, but she'd only seen mutants on television, and she couldn't help but be curious.</p><p>Ms. Frost sensed her uncertainty, and assured her she would get along with all of them just fine. “Each of you is individual in every way. You are unique, beautiful, and not a thing about you should be changed. At the Massachusetts Academy, we celebrate your gifts rather than suppress them. We will teach you to be proud of who you are, what you are capable of, and you will learn that your gift can be used to help other mutants who don't have access to schools like ours.”</p><p>The other students at the table where they'd stopped were listening, too. The speech seemed familiar to them, because they were smiling, and one was even mouthing the words along with Ms. Frost. For some reason, Kitty found that funny, and she smiled at the girl.</p><p>“I'll leave you here to get acquainted with some of your peers in the Sophomore class,” Ms. Frost said, indicating a seat for Kitty at one of the tables. “Please go with Isla when lunch is over. You share an afternoon class.”</p><p>Kitty thanked her, and sat quietly next to the tall slim girl, the one who had been moving her lips along with Ms. Frost's speech.</p><p>“She says that to every new kid,” Isla said with a smirk. “I'm Isla. Who are you?”</p><p>“Kitty Pryde,” she said. “So, uh, where are you from?”</p><p>“Pittsburgh,” Isla replied, “But I consider myself a Massachusetts girl now.”</p><p>“Soon you will, too,” said another girl, who introduced herself as Kristen. “We love it here. I'm sure you will, too, once you get settled.”</p><p>“So what can you do?” Isla asked.</p><p>No one had ever asked Kitty about her powers, but it seemed a logical question for a school full of mutants. Maybe even more logical than <em>where are you from</em>.</p><p>“I can move through solid objects.”</p><p>“Oh, hey, I've heard of that. I think they call it phasing or something,” Kristen said, leaning forward and holding out her hand. “Do it to me.”</p><p>Kitty's eyes widened a little. She'd never used her power with a person before. She had no idea what it would do.</p><p>“I, uh, I don't know if I should. I don't have much experience.”</p><p>“Ah, it'll be fine. Go ahead.”</p><p>Kitty concentrated and passed her hand through Kristen's, as the other girl grinned. “That was amazing. Wait til you start taking classes about your powers. You'll get even better.”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Kitty did. The classes were challenging, the other students were friendly, and Kitty soon had a group of friends to hang out with. They studied and worked together, and on the weekends did projects and watched television. She even started dating. Life at this school was better than she imagined it could have been.</p><p>Kitty had entered the school midway through the first semester of her Sophomore year, but because she was so advanced already, it didn't affect her much. Ms. Frost accepted her grades from her previous school, and incorporated them into her current Massachusetts Academy class grades. Kitty did have to make up two extra classes. The Freshman year classes specifically for mutants that she missed were, according to Ms. Frost, vital to her continued growth as a mutant and a future leader in the mutant community. The first was History of Mutants and the second was Understanding Mutants in Today's Society.</p><p>She'd missed part of the first class, which she took with the Freshmen, but she was able to catch up easily. The second class began after the winter holidays. She found it interesting learning about the different mutant groups around the world, particularly the X-Men. Her father had hated them, and the teacher of the class seemed not to care for them either. He tried to be neutral but it was obvious to anyone that he didn't like them.</p><p>The class learned about how each group approached the problem of human-mutant relations, and the class was expected to analyze the pros and cons of each approach. Xavier's group blindly followed one man, without question. They treated him like a father figure or a god, and while his dream of peaceful coexistence was nice, it was unrealistic.</p><p>“The X-Men are unarguably the most dangerous of the groups we discuss in this class. Their history of property damage and escalation of conflict provides evidence of this over and over again. Because of their violent and aggressive nature, and the indoctrination of the members, we ask that you memorize some basic information about their core members.” The teacher passed out books to each of them as he spoke. Kitty flipped through hers, noting chapters on the Fantastic Four, the Brotherhood of Mutants, and the X-Men, along with single chapters on other groups. The X-Men chapters were longest and took up more than half the book.</p><p>“At the end of this class you'll be tested on the X-Men, and expected to know their names, abilities, and weaknesses. We want you to be safe, and some of these mutants will stop at nothing to recruit innocents to their delusional cause.”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Kitty started reading that night and stayed up well past curfew. It was fascinating how many mutants there were and how varied their powers were. She focused on the X-Men, both because she was expected to and because they were the most interesting. Why anyone would believe a madman like Charles Xavier was beyond her comprehension. How could he expect the world to accept mutants when all his team did was destroy property, endanger lives, and scare people? Of <em>course</em> they made mutants look like a threat.</p><p>She skimmed some of the chapters. Storm. Delusions of godhood, control of weather, claustrophobic. Wolverine. Insane, adamantium-laced skeleton, retractable claws, healing factor, easily angered and exceptionally violent. Nightcrawler. She cringed. He was the creepiest looking mutant she'd seen so far, like a devil or a demon. Teleporter, invisible in shadow, clings to walls, proficient with swords, weakened by overuse of teleportation.</p><p>She put the book down and clicked off her lamp, thinking about the X-Men and how glad she was her mother had sent Charles Xavier away.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Failed Attempts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Xavier returned from Chicago without his new recruit, the one he'd called 'integral to the future of the team,' Kurt could feel the disappointment sheeting off the man.</p><p>“Teresa Pryde nearly took his head off,” Ororo said, ascending the staircase to where Kurt was balanced on the banister. “She sent us away and wouldn't even let us meet Katherine.”</p><p>“It's a shame,” Kurt said, wrapping his tail around the spindle. “The Professor says she would have been a real asset to our team.”</p><p>“I agree. But there is nothing we can do at this time. We can only hope she won't like Ms. Frost and her Academy and will change her mind.”</p><p>“Does the child have any say in her schooling?”</p><p>Ororo leaned on the railing beside Kurt. “I doubt it. Her parents seem...stubborn.”</p><p>Below, they could hear Scott and the professor talking through the open library door. They were discussing the failed recruitment of both Katherine Pryde and Alison Blaire. Alison, at least, had taken their business card. Kurt had seen her after the fight in the street outside the music venue. She was a very pretty woman, even with all the stage makeup covering her features. He would have liked to meet her, but she left before Scott and Jean met up with him on the roof.</p><p>When the professor turned the conversation to Jean, Scott shut the door, and Kurt and Ororo said good night. Alone in his room, Kurt climbed around on his equipment. The professor had been kind enough to allow him to install metal bars along his ceiling to do light acrobatics at his leisure. It helped him think, pushing himself into old moves. He was no longer an acrobat, but it was part of him, and it helped him feel centered when things were falling apart.</p><p>Something was going on with Jean. She was becoming more and more unpredictable, and blacking out. The professor was concerned about her, and Kurt didn't have to be a mind-reader to know that. Scott was even more worried. Kurt had tried to talk to Jean more than once, but she insisted she was fine, and refused to entertain thoughts to the contrary.</p><p>When he was tired, Kurt flipped to his bed, bounced a few times for the fun of it, then landed on the floor and stripped his sweaty uniform off. He teleported straight into the shower and back to his room afterwards. He considered calling his girlfriend, Amanda, but it was after eleven, and that would be rude. He thought about her instead. Having a girlfriend was a new experience for Kurt, given his off-putting appearance, so finding a woman who was attracted to him and loved him felt like a real miracle, even more so because she was absolutely gorgeous.</p><p>He lay back on the bed and imagined her face, sparkling green eyes and waves of strawberry blond hair that blew around her face in the wind. Her body was beautiful too, especially when she wrapped it around his and moaned in his ear.</p><p>He thought again about the way she had reacted when he first turned off his image inducer. She was startled, almost more so by the change than by the result of it. She looked him up and down, and smiled mischievously. If anything, she seemed even <em>more</em> attracted to him. That day was the first time he spent the night with her. She felt familiar, comfortable, and easy to talk to. He was sure he was in love with her.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Jean's death, and subsequent resurrection as Dark Phoenix shook the team to its core. None of them could seem to come to terms with it, moping about the school or brooding silently in their rooms for weeks. Kurt spent a lot of time praying and alone. Amanda tried to distract him with food or more physical diversions, but he was grieving the loss of a friend and declined more often than not.</p><p>For his birthday, she invited him over for lunch, and promised she had a surprise for him. Unfortunately, he was called back to the school in the middle of the meal. He opened the door to the library and gasped at the table full of gifts and food.</p><p>“<em>Was ist das</em>?”</p><p>“Happy birthday,” Amanda said behind him with a knowing smile.</p><p>“You knew?”</p><p>“I helped plan it, silly.” She smiled at Piotr Rasputin, one of Kurt's best friends. “Piotr and I did.”</p><p>“<em>Danke, liebchen</em>, this is wonderful! You know, I wondered what the two of you had been whispering about. This is an incredible surprise!”</p><p>Weeks of sorrow seemed to be temporarily forgotten as the team ate cake and ice cream before Kurt opened his gifts. The last one was in a plain black box, with no label.</p><p>“Perhaps it's from Scott,” Kurt said as he pulled out a crystal figurine of...<em>himself</em>.</p><p>Before he could question it, he collapsed.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>His next memory was waking up in hell. Some of his teammates had managed to come along with him, and he feared they were all dead now. But why was he in hell? Their final confrontation with his foster mother explained it all. He was grateful Stephen Strange had come along to prove to Margali Szardos that the death of her son Stephan at Kurt's hands had not been intentional. If only she had believed Kurt.</p><p>And returning home, he discovered why Amanda seemed so familiar. She was his foster sister, Jimaine. He was overcome with emotion—joy and relief and understanding.</p><p>“It explains why you weren't surprised at my appearance!” he exclaimed as he embraced her.</p><p>She kissed him, whispering in his ear things that had no place being said around pleasant company.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Happiness was short-lived, as it always is with the X-Men, Kurt was learning.</p><p>Christmas Eve, and Amanda, who had decided to keep her new name, was with him at the school. She visited often, stayed over sometimes, and had befriended many of his teammates. Tonight, they cuddled on the couch in front of the fire to watch “It's a Wonderful Life” and eat candy canes. Piotr was with them, and the professor had even mentioned he might join them. A crash from Ororo's room reverberated through the building, and Kurt shot to his feet even before the professor's mental call came to him.</p><p>A N'Garai demon had broken through the skylight in Ororo's room and was demolishing its way through the school. Kurt joined the team in battle, but the demon was startlingly powerful. Every time they thought they had it cornered, it escaped, destroying more and more of the school as it chased them down, hunting them like prey. It was hungry, and it meant to eat.</p><p>Several times they lost it, always to have it turn up again around the corner or in the next room. Finally they led it into the Blackbird hangar, where Kurt teleported into the jet, frying the demon with the engine flames. Ororo trembled, and Kurt did his best to comfort her. Her whole body shook as she hugged her friend.</p><p>“I thought the professor and I sealed them all away,” she said, stepping back to gape at the pile of ashes on the hangar floor. “I never imagined we'd have to face one again.”</p><p>Wolverine stalked back into the house to find his fiancée Mariko, who had been in the study with the professor when the demon broke in. Kurt shook his head at the ruined jet.</p><p>“Poor bird,” he said. “I don't know if I'll be able to fix her.”</p><p>“Perhaps the professor can send it to the repair-place...what do they call it?”</p><p>“Skunkworks.”</p><p>“Ah, yes. Perhaps they can repair it there.”</p><p>“Perhaps, but if they do—Logan? What is it?” Kurt stopped short when Logan appeared in the hall in front of them.</p><p>“Elf...we gotta talk.”</p><p>Kurt's gut twisted. Something was wrong. The way Logan was looking at him, and <em>not</em> Ororo, meant something was very wrong. “<em>Was ist es</em>, Logan? Tell me now.”</p><p>“It's about Amanda,” Logan said, and Kurt bolted. Images of her mangled body flashed through his mind, but when he teleported into the room, she was fine, sitting on the couch next to Piotr. He had his arm around her shoulders and she had been crying.</p><p>“What's wrong, Amanda?” he said, rushing to her side. He started to pull her into his arms, but she sat stiff and unmoving, eyes locked on the doorway where Logan stood with arms crossed. He looked ready to kill.</p><p>“Tell 'im or I will,” Logan bit out.</p><p>Amanda swallowed and moved closer to Piotr. “I, uh, that is, Piotr and I...we, uh...”</p><p>“They were kissing,” Logan spat.</p><p>“<em>Was</em>?”</p><p>It was a work of many more minutes before he could understand what had happened. Piotr and Amanda had been having an affair for weeks. It started when they planned his birthday party and spent a lot of time together. She told him it was an accident, she didn't mean to fall in love with his friend, but she couldn't control her heart, and neither could he.</p><p>Kurt wasn't prone to fits of anger like Logan. He didn't smash things like Colossus. He retreated into himself and tried to figure out how <em>he</em> had caused whatever the problem was. Logan's best attempts to keep him from wracking himself with guilt usually didn't work. Today, Kurt wasn't even going to entertain them. He rose from the couch, took a step away from his ex-girlfriend and former friend, and tried to think of something to say to them. Something profound and meaningful and thought-provoking. He had nothing. He teleported away.</p><p>Logan looked at Piotr and Amanda on the couch. “I think ya better get lost for a while Petey. I ain't likely ta forgive this too soon.”</p><p>Piotr automatically went to his metal form, and Logan stepped forward, claws out. “I can still cut you, metal boy. Get out and take your lyin' girlfriend with ya.”</p><p>Amanda's sorcery allowed her to create teleportation disks, and she did so, leaving Logan staring at an empty room. He stalked away to find Kurt.</p><p>He wasn't in his room, so Logan went to the next logical place, which was the Danger Room. He was there, wrapped up already in some scenario—Logan didn't recognize it.</p><p>“Hey Elf, lemme in this.”</p><p>“<em>Nein</em>, go away, Logan.”</p><p>“Aw, come on. I can beat up...whatever those things are.”</p><p>“They're ogres, and I don't want you to. I want to be left alone.”</p><p>“All right. But when you're ready t'get drunk, come find me. Ain't right to do that alone.”</p><p>“<em>Danke</em>, Logan. I will do that.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Three hours later, they were well into their sixth beers at Harry's Hideaway in Salem Center. Kurt was holding his own until Logan ordered whiskey to go with their beer. A glass of that on top of the beer and Kurt was on his way to oblivion.</p><p>“<em>Sie liebte mich nicht. Sie war meine Pflegeschwester<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote1sym" id="sdfootnote1anc" name="sdfootnote1anc"><sup>1</sup></a></em>.”</p><p>“Not a clue, bub.”</p><p>“<em>Was</em>?”</p><p>“I got no idea why she don't love you. You're all kinds of lovable.”</p><p>Kurt laughed, a little too much, but Logan kept drinking.</p><p>“<em>Anscheinend war ich nicht liebenswert genug für sie</em>.<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote2sym" id="sdfootnote2anc" name="sdfootnote2anc"><sup>2</sup></a>”</p><p>“Sounds like her loss to me, Elf.”</p><p>“<em>Nein, das ist auch mein Verlust</em>.<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote3sym" id="sdfootnote3anc" name="sdfootnote3anc"><sup>3</sup></a>”</p><p>“You're gonna be better off without her, though. Get yerself laid and worry about girlfriends later.”</p><p>He shook his head. “<em>Das scheint nicht sehr ehrenwert zu sein. Ich hätte lieber eine Freundin<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote4sym" id="sdfootnote4anc" name="sdfootnote4anc"><sup>4</sup></a></em>.”</p><p>“It ain't about honor. It's about getting' through this shit and bein' okay when it's over. Look, that chick's been starin' at ya all night. Why don't ya see if she'll take ya home.”</p><p>“<em>Nein, Das interessiert mich heute Abend nicht<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote5sym" id="sdfootnote5anc" name="sdfootnote5anc"><sup>5</sup></a></em>.”</p><p>“Suit yerself. More beer?”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>.”</p><p>
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  <p class="sdfootnote"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote1anc" id="sdfootnote1sym" name="sdfootnote1sym">1</a>She did not love me. She was my foster sister.</p>
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  <p class="sdfootnote"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote2anc" id="sdfootnote2sym" name="sdfootnote2sym">2</a>Apparently I was not adorable/lovable enough for her.</p>
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  <p class="sdfootnote"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote3anc" id="sdfootnote3sym" name="sdfootnote3sym">3</a>No, that is my loss too.</p>
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  <p class="sdfootnote"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote4anc" id="sdfootnote4sym" name="sdfootnote4sym">4</a>That does not seem to be very honorable. I would rather have a girlfriend</p>
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  <p class="sdfootnote"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote5anc" id="sdfootnote5sym" name="sdfootnote5sym">5</a>No, I'm not interested in that tonight</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A First Step</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Summer break at the Massachusetts Academy was only three weeks long, and for Kitty, it was two weeks and five days too long. Her parents argued constantly. Kitty spent most of her time at her old dance studio or the Jewish Community Center, and only went home for dinner because her mother insisted that they spend “quality family time” together.</p><p>She couldn't wait to get back to school. The summer courses were short and mostly centered around honing their mutant talents. Kitty had discovered that not only could she pass through objects and people, but if she concentrated, she could vary the degree of intangible she became, so that she could walk on molecules of air, or phase part of her body and not the rest, or phase objects with her. After her first summer session ended, she felt proud of what she could do for the first time. She stopped feeling like a <em>freak</em> and began to feel amazing.</p><p>
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</p><p>Kitty started her junior year happy and optimistic. In one of her classes, the teacher taught them a motto: <em>Being a mutant won't keep me from being successful</em>. Success, measured by wealth and power, was the goal for every student at the school. Kitty learned that the school was funded and run by a group called the Hellfire Club. The name intimidated most of the students at first, until Ms. Frost assured them it was simply a timeworn name from years past, and the modern club was philanthropic in nature, dedicated to helping mutants make a place for themselves in a world that despised them.</p><p>Ms. Frost held a small seminar class which Kitty found fascinating. They chose a topic and studied it in depth. This semester's topic dealt with mutants and their role in the future. Kitty was enthralled by the discussions about leaders in the world mutant population, people like Charles Xavier, Sebastian Shaw, Erik Lensherr, and others. Some used their influence to help mutants and humans alike, others did not. Kitty learned even more about Xavier's team. The Massachusetts Academy and Hellfire Club both classified the team as a private army, which Xavier used to further his personal causes.</p><p>When her junior year began, one of the special classes dealt with a new team the school was forming. The premise was to run counter to the X-Men and right the wrongs they committed, wherever possible. They would be agents of justice, peace, and honor. At the same time, they were developing several lucrative business ventures that would be run entirely by mutants. The thought was that if mutants could deal with humans in the areas they valued most—wealth and power—a relationship could be formed between the two groups.</p><p>All the students would be given opportunities to explore both avenues, as well as traditional college and work options. At the start of their senior year, they would make their decision and take a path of classes that would move them toward their selected goal. Kitty was torn for the first time. She wanted to go to college, but the idea of using her powers for good was appealing too.</p><p>“We don't have to decide til next year,” Isla said as they sat with ice cream under a tree after class one afternoon. Fall was approaching but it was still warm enough in the afternoon sun to justify a cold treat.</p><p>“I wonder if I could do both,” Kitty said.</p><p>“Both?”</p><p>“Yeah...go to college and be on the team.”</p><p>“I don't know. It seems like a lot.”</p><p>“I'll talk to Ms. Frost about it. She's always got good advice.” Kitty scraped the bottom of her ice cream bowl for the last of the syrup. “What are you gonna do?”</p><p>Isla looked thoughtful and then said, “I'm going to join the team.”</p><p>“Really? That's...<em>surprising</em>, actually. If I had to guess, I would have said you'd definitely go the college route.”</p><p>“I thought about it, but this seems more important right now, and I figured I can do college later if I want. Or join up one of the mutant-run businesses the school is involved with. We won't need degrees to work there since we're mutants.”</p><p>“Good point.”</p><p>As they walked back inside, Ms. Frost met them in the foyer. “Kitty, I was just looking for you. Do you have a minute to talk in my office?”</p><p>“Sure,” she said, feeling butterflies in her stomach. She hadn't done anything wrong, she was sure of it, so it must be about her parents. What had they done now? Oh, god, were they pulling her from the school?</p><p>As soon as Ms. Frost shut the door, Kitty blurted out her fears.</p><p>“No, nothing like that, Kitty. This is a good thing.” Kitty sat down while Ms. Frost tapped her manicured hands on a stack of papers. “I know you're unsure about your future, and I have an idea about how to help you make a decision. You see, I think you'll be perfect on our team. I'd like to give you an opportunity to see what it might be like.”</p><p>It was always eerie when she seemed to have been reading Kitty's mind, but rather than point that out, Kitty let her headmistress continue.</p><p>“We've just gotten word that the X-Men have been slain in Dallas.”</p><p>“What?” In spite of her ingrained dislike of them, Kitty was shocked. “How? What?”</p><p>“We were all shocked as well. A terrible adversary slew them, all but two it seems. Rogue and Nightcrawler were injured previously and flown to an island in Scotland called Muir. It's a mutant research center run by a colleague of Charles Xavier's. Moira MacTaggert is as wrapped up in Xavier's cause as the mutants are. They were lovers once, so their connection is very strong.”</p><p>“Only two X-Men lived?”</p><p>“Yes, it's hard to believe. Xavier himself is not even on this planet. He left some time ago to join his lover in space.”</p><p>“Wait—you don't mean Lilandra from the Shi'Ar empire?” Kitty's summer education had included a class on races of aliens the X-Men and other mutant groups had encountered in the past.</p><p>“I do. But this works in our favor. With the X-Men gone and Xavier off-world, Moira's research facility has become the last holdout for their dream.”</p><p>“It sounds like the dream is as dead as the X-Men.” Kitty thought about all the mutants she'd memorized from her book, and the thought that, of all of them, only Rogue and Nightcrawler remained, was difficult to grasp.</p><p>“That dream never dies, darling. Which is where you come in. I want you to go to Muir Island and download Moira's medical files on the X-Men staying there.”</p><p>Kitty stared.</p><p>“I know it sounds difficult, even impossible, but trust me, I've got it all worked out. I just need to know if you'll do it.”</p><p>“I...I don't know. That sounds a lot like stealing.”</p><p>“It <em>is</em> stealing. However, we're doing it for the common <em>good</em>. We need to know how badly these two are injured, and whether or not they might try to resurrect the team, so to speak. Every time that group has a set-back, they manage to round up more gullible, innocent mutants to build their team up again. They are truly insatiable when it comes to their obsession with Xavier's dream.”</p><p>Kitty chewed her lip. “So...I just go over there and steal some data?”</p><p>“It won't be easy. But with your technological prowess and your gift of intangibility, I think you can manage it. Moira doesn't have guards on her station and I doubt she has much in the way of security measures at this time, either. Once they're asleep in the main house, you will simply sneak into the computer lab, copy data to an external drive, and return.”</p><p>“Can I think about it?”</p><p>“Certainly. The mission isn't vital, Kitty. If you choose not to go, it won't be a hindrance to us. This trip is meant as a means of...shall we say, giving you a first-person view into what it will be like to work against the enemy for the good of mutant-kind.”</p><p>“Okay. I'll think about it,” Kitty said and rose from the chair.</p><p>“Take this with you,” Ms. Frost said. She handed Kitty the stack of papers she'd been tapping on earlier. “These are schematics and some other information, including the basic file structure of her computer systems. The best we can determine, anyway.”</p><p>“Okay. Thanks.”</p><p>“And Kitty?”</p><p>She turned at the door. Frost's smile was a little too sweet. “I do have another mission for you, if this one is successful. We've—some of my colleagues and I—have been considering the best way to cripple the X-Men without <em>hurting</em> anyone. And we think Cerebro is that tactic. Do you know what Cerebro is?”</p><p>“I know about it. But the X-Men are dead.”</p><p>“Yes. That makes this the perfect time to make our move on Cerebro. They'll begin recruiting again as soon as possible. That's why we need to know about the two at Muir Island. And if we can disable Cerebro permanently, and better yet, acquire its tech for ourselves, the X-Men will have a much more difficult time recruiting innocent mutants to their cult. And we'll be able to save that many more.”</p><p>“Okay. I'll think about it.”</p><p>Kitty wandered up to her room and shut the door. Ms. Frost wanted her to go to Scotland and steal data? She wasn't sure that was ethical, even if it was for a good cause. She pulled out her book on the mutants of the world and flipped to the page with Rogue. She was really powerful. She could absorb other mutants' powers with a touch of her skin, gaining those powers for herself, as well as their memories, and causing the victim to faint or even die. She flipped several pages to the chapter on Nightcrawler. The demonic looking one, she recalled. The first time she saw his picture, she found his appearance creepy, but the more she studied the pictures, the more he became another non-passing mutant, like some of her friends at the Academy.</p><p>If she went to Scotland, these two would be there. If they were recovered from their injuries, they could easily kill her if they caught her, intangible or not. She would have to become solid at some point, and in that second, Rogue could absorb her power, or Nightcrawler could gut her with a sword. She had no doubt either of them would do so without hesitation. Xavier's army was ruthless, without compassion, and prepared to die for his cause. As they apparently <em>had</em>.</p><p>The news that night was lit up with the deaths of the X-Men in Dallas. A few of the kids cheered, but were silenced by the teachers who watched alongside the students in the rec room. Kitty was somber. She thought it was sad that so many had died. If only they hadn't believed Xavier's lies, they'd still be alive.</p><p>“While the loss of the X-Men is beneficial to mutants in the long run, as his current army has failed, we should still mourn those innocents who believed the lies of their leader, Charles Xavier,” Emma Frost said as she took her place at the front of the classroom the next day. She opened the class up for discussion.</p><p>Isla raised her hand, “Will the Adversary come for us next?”</p><p>“We don't think so. The conflict was exclusively with Xavier's X-Men. Their misguided efforts to aid mutant-kind led them to make numerous enemies. We do not have that problem.”</p><p>“What about the ones that didn't die?” another student asked.</p><p>“There are only two members of the team who survived the massacre,” Ms. Frost said. “They both suffered crippling injuries in an earlier battle and were sent to the Muir Island Medical Research Facility. As far as we know, they are still there, under the care of a human doctor, Moira MacTaggert.”</p><p>“What happens when they get better?”</p><p>“We don't know. Most likely, based on the pattern of behavior Xavier's army exhibits, they will try to recruit a new team and rebuild the army.” Ms. Frost took a few more basic questions before resuming class.</p><p>Afterwards, Kitty went to Ms. Frost's office again to give her a decision about the mission.</p><p>“I think I'll do it,” she said, “But I have a few questions.”</p><p>“Certainly. It's wise of you to want to understand the task at hand.” Ms. Frost's smile seemed only slightly insincere, but Kitty wasn't going to commit a crime without a good enough reason.</p><p>“I don't understand why we need information about these two X-Men. Why does it matter how they're injured?”</p><p>“That's an excellent question, Kitty, and one I hoped you'd ask.” This smile was genuine, and Kitty tried not to blush with pride.</p><p>“Because of the extreme threat the Adversary poses to mutants in general, we'd like you to find out how dire their injuries are. If they are already recovering, or recovered, they may attempt to continue Xavier's plans sooner than later. If the Adversary thinks there are mutant threats remaining among the ranks of the X-Men, he may decide to attack any and <em>all</em> mutants. This is vital to our continued survival, you understand?”</p><p>“So will the data tell us if they're going to start up a new team of X-Men?”</p><p>“No, it won't. But it will allow us to make some suppositions. You've brought up a good point, though.” Ms. Frost tapped her fingers on her desk again. “Do you have any ideas about how to solve that question?”</p><p>“Ideas?”</p><p>“Yes, about how we can learn more about their intentions, as well as their state of recovery.”</p><p>Kitty hadn't thought about it. Now...was Ms. Frost asking her to come up with a new plan? “I suppose it would require talking to them.”</p><p>“I believe you're right. How can we make that happen without revealing who you are, or what your motives are?”</p><p>“I'd have to have a reason to be on the island, and a reason to hang around.”</p><p>Ms. Frost waited while Kitty thought up a plan.</p><p>“I could pose as an injured mutant. I'm a mutant after all.”</p><p>“But you have no injuries, and that would be obvious immediately. Keep thinking.”</p><p>Kitty bit her lip in thought. “Okay...what if...I was a college student doing study abroad...and one of my assignments was to...hm...report on something from recent news that was controversial in some way? And someone suggested Dr. MacTaggert?”</p><p>“That's an interesting idea, Kitty,” Frost said, leaning back and folding her hands. “I'll consider it. I was just going to have you deliver fake medical equipment.”</p><p>“Oh,” Kitty said, slumping a little. That sounded much simpler. “But then how would I get to talk to them?”</p><p>“That would be the difficult part. I think I like your idea a little better.”</p><p>“You—you <em>do</em>?”</p><p>“Yes, in fact...” Ms. Frost spun in her chair and started rifling through a filing cabinet behind her. “Yes, here we are. I have college letterhead here I can use to type up a request from your <em>professor</em>.”</p><p>Kitty hardly had time to wonder why Ms. Frost had college letterhead in her filing cabinet, she was so excited now about the prospect of her own plan coming to fruition.</p><p>“I'll take care of this right away. Oh, but one other thing. I'd like you to leave something behind when you're there. You know what a bug is, right?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Good. It'll stick to whatever you put it on and we'll be able to listen in. The lab or the computer room would be ideal, but anywhere you can put it will work.”</p><p>“Okay,” Kitty said, agreeing only because Ms. Frost had been so accommodating about the rest of the plan, and because she no longer had to steal anything.</p><p>Ms. Frost beamed at her. “I <em>knew</em> you were the right student for this project. I'll let you know when everything is set up, Kitty. Be ready to leave any day.”</p><p>“Oh! My passport! I don't have one.”</p><p>“I'll take care of that, darling.”</p><p>
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</p><p>“Yes, sir,” Frost said into the phone, “She is vital to our plans to acquire Cerebro.”</p><p>“Has she agreed to the first step?”</p><p>“Yes, she's going to Scotland shortly. I'm sure MacTaggert will take the bait.”</p><p>“Good. We need to keep their focus on the Research Center. When Pryde is ready, we'll send her into the school to take out Cerebro and bring us the core. The X-Men will have to rebuild from scratch. And we'll already be up and running.”</p><p>
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</p><p>The next day, Ms. Frost informed Kitty the plan had been set in motion, and she was waiting for a response from Dr. MacTaggert. Once received, and she expected the request to be accepted, Kitty would need to leave immediately.</p><p>“If you're in school in England, it won't take you days to get there.” Ms. Frost handed Kitty a copy of the letter she'd sent. “The professor's name is Kevin Charles. Those names mean something to the doctor, and should help sway her in your favor if she balks.”</p><p>“I understand.” Kitty remembered what she'd read about Moira MacTaggert. She was in the mutant book too, though she wasn't a mutant. Because she was closely associated with Xavier, she was considered a threat as well. And she'd had a son named Kevin who had been, until he was killed, the most dangerous mutant on the planet. Or so said the X-Men before they killed him.</p><p>
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</p><p>The day after that, Ms. Frost told her the request had been accepted, and she was to meet Dr. MacTaggert the next day by taking the morning ferry to the island.</p><p>“I have to ask you to be very careful while you're there. Do not make any mention of the Academy or the Hellfire Club. Xavier has turned them all against us, and they believe us a threat. If they even <em>suspect</em> you are affiliated with us, they may do you harm or take you into custody. And while your ability allows you some defense against such attacks, I <em>hate</em> the idea of you going up against such powerful mutants without any real training.”</p><p>Kitty nodded in understanding while she shifted on her feet. She was eager to get her things and go.</p><p>“While the X-Men may be injured, they are still dangerous. He has groomed them from the moment of their recruitment to be soldiers. They will <em>not</em> <em>hesitate</em> to harm you or kill you if they think you are a threat.”</p><p>Kitty's eyes widened as Frost continued.</p><p>“Don't worry, you're perfectly suited to this job. I thought it best you have an alias as well. Kate Parker. I thought to keep it close to your real name for ease.”</p><p>Kitty felt the stirrings of nervousness in her belly. “Are you <em>sure</em> you want me to do this?”</p><p>“I am <em>certain</em>. You are <em>special</em>, Kitty. I see you rising in the ranks of your schoolmates. You excel even among the best of them. You're gifted in more than just your mutation, darling, and in time, you will make a place for yourself in the world that no one, not even those biased against us, will be able to deny. Yes, you are the one for this mission. I have faith in you.” Ms. Frost's smile encouraged Kitty enough to accept the assignment for what it was. She had Kitty's best interests in mind, and Kitty would not let her headmistress down.</p><p>Kitty spent the trip to the airport reading over her notes. She'd come up with a list of questions that seemed innocuous but would hopefully provide the information Ms. Frost was hoping for. She had her false passport in hand, and one small overnight bag. She kept the bug in her jacket pocket. She had a change of clothes, too, a nice skirt and blouse for the 'interview' so she could play the part of college student. Ms. Frost suggested she say she was a freshman, since she still looked so young.</p><p>One of Kitty's questions was about the Legacy Virus. They had an entire class about the Virus at the school, and everyone knew Dr. MacTaggert was leading the field in the research for a cure. According to Xavier, a mutant named Stryfe had released it, but Ms. Frost's people had a different theory. They had evidence that showed Xavier himself had created it in a failed attempt to turn the rest of humanity into mutants, in order to force peace and a higher status for mutants. Kitty was appalled. How could he do something so evil? Even if he thought he was doing it to help mutants, it was wrong to alter an entire population of people against their will. She was secretly a little glad it had backfired on him.</p><p>Frost also said she believed he had a cure already, that he held in reserve for his own team and innocent mutants of his personal choosing. He had to allow some of his team to die, to preserve the illusion that he had nothing to do with the disease. The evil man's first victim had been a child, a little Russian girl named Illyana, who, according to Frost, was considered expendable.</p><p>Kitty thought about all of this as she flew across the Atlantic towards Scotland in the Hellfire Club's private jet. When her plane landed, she was met by another driver, who took her to the dock across from the island. She would have to take a ferry across from the mainland and wait for its return several hours later. Kitty shifted her purse under her arms. Her overnight bag would wait in the car. She'd already changed in the airplane when they got close to Scotland. Kitty went over some emergency information she'd memorized as she crossed the channel on the ferry. Frost had covered a number of contingencies, from MacTaggert questioning her school's validity, to an attack on the island from one of the X-Men's enemies. Kitty inhaled the salty air and tried not to be nervous.</p><p>Truthfully, Kitty didn't like any of this. The idea of lying so much to these people, even if they were rivals in business, or in society, didn't seem right. Kitty knew that opposing groups in government and society often resorted to forms of spying in order to gain an advantage, but Kitty had never imagined she'd be part of it. And that's exactly what she was doing. <em>Spying</em>. She latched onto the word with a jolt.</p><p>She was a spy. A <em>spy</em>. Wasn't that almost like being a soldier? She didn't have time to think about it much more, because the boat pulled up alongside the dock, and Kitty had to make the trek up to the research facility. She squared her shoulders and walked, going over the lies again.</p><p>There was a video monitor at the main entrance, and when Kitty pressed the call button, a woman's face appeared on the screen. “State your business,” she said, in a thick Scottish accent.</p><p>“I'm Kate Parker from Broadmoor College. I have an appointment.”</p><p>“Hello Kate. Someone will let you in momentarily.”</p><p>Kitty waited, shifting back and forth from one foot to the other. Finally the door opened, and a woman let her in. She had a streak of white in her hair, and Kitty recognized her as Rogue from the X-Men. Her heart leaped in her chest in agitation.</p><p>“Hi there. Come on in and follow me, sugah. Dr. MacTaggert is in her lab.” Rogue's southern accent was a surprise, and Kitty struggled to control her nerves as she followed the woman inside. She seemed healthy enough, Kitty thought. Maybe she was already fully recovered.</p><p>Kitty couldn't find her voice. They went up several flights of stairs and down a hall, where Rogue opened a door and ushered her in.</p><p>The woman from the screen was bent over a computer doing something. She barely looked up. “Thank you, Rogue.” She raised her head and glanced at Kitty. Then looked again. “So you're the wee college girl. You all get younger every year.”</p><p>Kitty cleared her throat. “Yes. I'm Kate—”</p><p>“I know who you are. Kate Parker from Broadmoor. We'll talk in the other room where it's more comfortable.”</p><p>“Yes, ma'am,” Kitty said, waiting with her hands folded tightly in front of her. Dr. MacTaggert appeared to be in the middle of something fascinating, and didn't take her eyes from the screen. Minutes passed while Kitty stood waiting, not daring to speak from nervousness.</p><p>Rogue sat across the room at another computer. Neither woman paid the least bit of attention to Kitty. When Rogue spoke up, Kitty jumped in surprise.</p><p>“Ah'm goin' to New York,” she said.</p><p>“Right now?” Moira said, spinning around in her chair, finally moved to take her eyes off the screen.</p><p>“Yeah, Ah need to...” she swallowed and blinked rapidly. “Ah need to see if he...”</p><p>Dr. MacTaggert seemed to understand what Rogue was hinting at, though Kitty did not. The only thing she knew about New York was that it was the base of the X-Men's operations and location of the school. Why Rogue would be going there now, when everyone was dead, was a mystery she didn't have time to dig into. But if she was traveling, it probably meant she was healthy.</p><p>“You're taking the plane,” Moira said.</p><p>“Of course Ah am,” Rogue replied. “Ah can't make it on my own across the Atlantic.”</p><p>“All right. I wish you'd take Kurt with you.”</p><p>“He's not in any shape to travel and you know that better'n Ah do. Besides...Ah want t'do this alone.”</p><p>Kitty listened, growing more and more curious as they talked. Kurt...she must mean Nightcrawler. She'd read about some of their known given names, and she remembered now that Nightcrawler's name was Kurt Wagner, and he was German.</p><p>“At least have him check out the plane first. You'll hurt his feelings if you don't.” Moira stood up with Rogue, who nodded in agreement.</p><p>“Ah will. Can't have him moping around while Ah'm gone.” She frowned. “Least, not any more'n usual.”</p><p>Moira patted her back. “We all heal in our own time, Rogue. He's been through an awful lot.”</p><p>“Ah know. Ah'm sorry Ah have to do this...”</p><p>“Don't be. Just be safe.”</p><p>Rogue turned towards the doorway, then paused. “On second thought, Ah'll wait until after your visitor leaves. She might have a few questions for me.” She laughed a little. “Ah'll be in my room packin' if you need me.”</p><p>“Thank you, Rogue,” Moira said.</p><p>Rogue passed Kitty as she headed out the door. “Good luck with your assignment, Kate.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Kitty said, her voice raspy and hoarse. She cleared her throat and repeated herself. “Thank you.” Her hand clutched the bug in her jacket pocket. This room would be a perfect place to hide it. There was a shelf just within reach, if she could get to it without notice...</p><p>Dr. MacTaggert now stood in front of Kitty, looking down from her slightly greater height. “Now then, let's go to the kitchen and have some tea and you can ask me all your questions.”</p><p>Kitty had a strange feeling about this, but her hand slipped under the shelf to attach the bug as she followed Dr. MacTaggert out of the lab. They went down the long hall, and around several corners before going through what looked like a regular living room and from there into a small kitchen. Dr. MacTaggert started water boiling and pulled out two cups and saucers. “How d'ye take your tea, Kate?”</p><p>Kitty swallowed. “Uh, milk and sugar, please.”</p><p>The doctor rolled her eyes and mumbled, “Americans.” But she took out the sugar and a small container of milk. She said nothing while the water boiled and she fixed the tea, then sat down across from Kitty and stared at her.</p><p>“So. <em>Kate</em>. What would you like to know?”</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A Foiled Ruse</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kitty sat across from Dr. Moira MacTaggert, hands shaking slightly, as she pulled out her list of false interview questions and started at the top. Her voice trembled with nerves. “What influenced you to become a doctor?”</p><p>“What are you so nervous about, child?” Dr. MacTaggert said, catching Kitty completely off guard.</p><p>“Wha—I—uh...” Kitty looked at her cup and found it empty.</p><p>Before she could answer, Dr. MacTaggert spoke again. Her eyes moved to the space above Kitty's head and she said, “Kurt, would you please get Kate another cup of tea? With milk and sugar, since she's a bloody <em>heathen</em>.”</p><p>As Kitty turned to see who the new person was, a fuzzy blue hand reached over her shoulder for her cup. Kitty knew immediately who he was, and held her breath, waiting for the inevitable fear to spill into her veins when she saw his demonic features at last. But it didn't happen. He was smiling at her, fangs glinting in the kitchen light, but it wasn't a menacing smile. His ears were pointed, something she knew but couldn't see well in the images from her book, and his eyes without pupils were not simply yellow, they <em>glowed</em>. Behind him, his tail undulated like a separate sentient being.</p><p>Moira crossed her legs and leaned back in amusement as she watched Kitty's reaction. “Well, looks like someone's not afraid of our resident demon.”</p><p>Kitty's eyes snapped to Moira's, wondering if she'd given something away unintentionally. Should she have been afraid of him? Probably. She looked away from Moira, back to Kurt, who leaned on the table with one hand.</p><p>He moved slowly, like an old man, and she wondered what exactly had happened to him. Everything she'd read said he was a capable acrobat, strong, lean, and agile, skilled with a sword and in hand-to-hand combat. At the moment, he looked like he couldn't knock over a baby.</p><p>Kitty realized she was staring again when he turned around with her teacup and cocked his head at her. “Never seen a fuzzy blue demon, <em>fraulein</em>?”</p><p>“Not in person, no.” <em>Oops</em>. “I've seen you on television.”</p><p>Moira picked up her teacup, still half-full. “Kurt, this is our college interviewer.”</p><p>Kitty spared a brief glance at Moira's unreadable face before holding out her hand to shake Kurt's. “Kitty Pr-Parker,” she said, saving it at the last minute.</p><p>“I thought your name was Kate?” Moira said, catching another slip.</p><p>“It is. Kitty is my nickname,” she said. The longer he stood motionless and silent, the more Kitty's brain seemed to work.</p><p>“This young lady is here to interview me for a college class, Kurt,” said Moira, not taking her eyes off Kitty. “She has all the proper paperwork, but for the life of me, I don't think she's telling us the truth.”</p><p>Kitty turned back to Dr. MacTaggert in shock. A shrill scraping had her feeling like a tennis ball as she looked again at Nightcrawler, dragging a chair over with his tail. He leaned his elbows on the table and looked at her, those enigmatic golden eyes boring into hers. She stared back, hoping she appeared less afraid than she was. How did Moira know she was lying?</p><p>“Uh...are you a—a telepath or something?” she said, pretending not to know as much as she did about him. “Nightcrawler, right?”</p><p>He grinned, those white fangs poking at his lower lip when he did. “<em>Ja</em>, I am Nightcrawler. But I am not a telepath. Unfortunately, <em>they</em> are all <em>dead</em>. Or gone.”</p><p>Kitty had the sense to look sorry, and was surprised to find she <em>was</em> sorry.</p><p>“Rogue and I are the only X-Men left, and we are too injured to do much of anything but help Moira in her lab. Where are you really from, <em>fraulein</em>?”</p><p>“Chicago.”</p><p>He chuckled, a not-unpleasant sound, and she felt herself relaxing somewhat. His voice was low and warm, with an accent that sent prickles up her spine. “I'm from Winzeldorf, in Germany, but that is not what I <em>meant</em>. Who do you work for?”</p><p>“I don't work for anyone. I'm in college. It's my class assignment...”</p><p>“I think not, and I cannot help but wonder who would send a slip of a girl like you to Moira's island with a bomb for us.”</p><p>Kitty almost phased through her chair. “A <em>what</em>?” She didn't know what to do now. Ms. Frost hadn't covered <em>this</em> contingency. What was he talking about? Did they think the bug was a bomb? Had they found it already? Her mind raced with plausible explanations, even as Ms. Frost's warnings rang in her ears. <em>They won't hesitate to harm you or take you into custody</em>.</p><p>Nightcrawler spoke again. “The security system discovered it. A lucky thing, too, or Dr. MacTaggert could have been killed, and all her research lost. Do you work for the American government?” He leaned towards her again, narrowing his eyes, and Kitty's heart began to pound as she drew back from him.</p><p>“I didn't bring a bomb. I didn't bring <em>anything</em>. I'm in <em>college</em>. There's no bomb. Why would you think that?” She couldn't keep the panic out of her voice, as it rose higher in pitch with each sentence.</p><p>“Whoever sent you here did a very poor job of educating you about our security systems. We have surveillance everywhere, and sensors that detect nearly anything. You placed a bomb in the lab. Do you wish to see the footage?”</p><p>Kitty stood up, pushing her chair back as she did. Her temper flared. How dare they accuse her of something like this? Ms. Frost was right about the X-Men being crazy. “No. I don't want to see a bomb <em>you</em> planted or a video you faked. I'm done talking to you. God, no wonder everyone hates the X-Men.”</p><p>She started out the door, but Nightcrawler was quick, even if he was recovering from injuries. Gone was the old man act as he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. Kitty panicked and phased free of his grasp, startling him almost as much as he had her. Then she ran.</p><p>She ran straight through the walls of the building, towards the dock. She was almost there when a loud popping sound distracted her, and she slammed into Nightcrawler's chest. She screamed and phased again, then kept running. When she got to the dock, she turned. He hadn't moved, or rather, hadn't come after her. He was bent over, hands on his knees, as if he'd just run twenty miles. Kitty hesitated briefly, then dove through the dock as he inclined his head in her direction.</p><p>Beneath the dock, she scrambled up onto some rocks to catch her breath. It wasn't long before she heard footsteps touching down on the wooden planks above her. She guessed it was Rogue, and she had flown down to the dock. Dr. MacTaggert must have sent her after her. Why had she run like that? She might as well have <em>admitted</em> to planting a bomb. But she hadn't done that at all! How could they say that about her?</p><p>“Where did ya go, ya damn kid?” Definitely Rogue. She stomped along the dock, then Kitty saw her fly along the rocky coastline in both directions before returning to the dock.</p><p>She heard Kurt's voice, then the sound of his footsteps, slow now. He still sounded winded, and he coughed now and then. “She dove through the dock. She's either hiding under it, or she's swimming.”</p><p>Kitty's head spun. How had this gone so wrong? How had they guessed it was a ruse? Bits of dust and dirt drifted between the cracks as they walked the length.</p><p>Any moment now, one or both of them would climb underneath to look for her. Kitty backed up into the rock itself, so they wouldn't find her. They were cold and wet, and some were sharp, but she kept her mouth shut tight, her eyes and nose free, while above her the dock swayed and creaked.</p><p>“Ah'm goin' below,” said Rogue.</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, she may be hiding. She went <em>through</em> it, like the walls inside. Like <em>ein geist</em>—a ghost.”</p><p>“Ah didn't know she was a mutant.”</p><p>“None of us did. She failed to mention quite a few things to us. Didn't you, <em>fraulein</em>?” He addressed her as if he knew she was listening. It made her nervous, but she knew he couldn't see her, and they couldn't get through the rocks to find her. <em>You're safe. Relax. They'll leave</em>.</p><p>Rogue flew under, landed in the shallow water and walked along the rocks a little. Kitty pulled all the way into the rock and held her breath. When she couldn't hold it any longer, she emerged, ready to run, but Rogue was gone.</p><p>From above, she heard her speaking to Kurt. “Ah don't see her. D'ya think she tried to swim?”</p><p>“<em>Mein Gott</em>, I hope not. She will drown. The water is far too cold and rough.” Kitty eased herself back out of the rocks, taking shaky breaths as quietly as she could. Above, someone walked to the edge and stood. “If I were not so weak, I could have followed her. <em>Verdammt</em> powers...”</p><p>“Don't blame yourself, Kurt. Neither of us is in top shape. It'll take time, but we'll heal.”</p><p>“Some wounds take longer, Rogue.” Empathy bloomed in Kitty's chest at the pain in his voice. Rogue's sounded just as sad when she replied to him. Kitty wondered what they'd been through, before remembering they were chasing her, and they were her enemies.</p><p>“Ah know it, Kurt. Come on back now, an' rest.”</p><p>Movement above her sounded like footsteps, then a scraping sound, and Kitty froze as the devilish form of Nightcrawler's head and shoulders lowered itself from one side of the dock and looked around. Kitty slowly moved back towards the rocks, silently praying he couldn't see her. She heard the distant sound of a motor, the ferry on its return trip.</p><p>Nightcrawler hefted himself back up onto the dock, and she listened again to their conversation.</p><p>“Idiot. Ah already looked under there.” Rogue's sharp steps went down the dock and back, with Kurt's more shuffling steps this time.</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, I suppose there's no reason to continue our search. Surely she is either dead or gone by now. Like everyone else,” he added softly. Kitty couldn't hear Rogue's response as their footsteps and voices retreated. Kitty began to breathe more easily. When the ferry docked half an hour later, she phased through the water and onto the boat, sinking into one of the seats belowdeck to calm her shaking nerves. She didn't move until the ferry did, knees still slightly wobbly, but at least she could blame the motion of the boat now.</p><p>She took the steps up to the deck and walked towards the front of the boat to feel the wind and salt spray on her face. She almost fell overboard when a husky German voice beside her said, “<em>Hallo, fraulein</em>.”</p><p>She jumped away from him, casting her eyes around the deck for somewhere to run.</p><p>“Relax. I'm not here to hurt you. I only want to talk to you some more. You seem nervous and upset.”</p><p>“Well,” she said, finding her tongue and her temper, “If people accused <em>you</em> of delivering <em>bombs</em>, and then <em>chased</em> you, you'd be upset, too!” She continued backing away while she talked, but he didn't move. He leaned heavily on the railing as if it were supporting all his weight. His tail whipped back and forth, and occasionally wrapped around one of the support poles of the railing.</p><p>“People who deliver bombs should expect to be chased.”</p><p>“I didn't deliver a bomb!” she shouted, realizing too late that there were other people on board who might hear her. At this point, she hardly cared.</p><p>Nightcrawler shook his head. “<em>Tsk, tsk</em>, scaring the ferry captain isn't very nice. It's a twenty minute trip, come sit and talk. I promise I don't bite.” He flashed his fangs at her and she wondered if he thought it was funny.</p><p>Kitty shook her head. “I told you everything already. And you just want to accuse me of stuff again!”</p><p>He let out a long breath. He looked drained, Kitty realized, as he pushed upright away from the rail. She had backed herself against the captain's box in the center of the ferry. Nightcrawler seemed content simply to talk to her, and intimidate her, and if that's all he was going to do, she could handle that for eighteen more minutes until she got to shore and left in the car. The water was choppy, and becoming more so every minute, slowing their passage.</p><p>Nightcrawler glanced over Kitty's shoulder at the dock. “I don't have much time,” he said.</p><p>“What, you're gonna die?” She cocked her head at him and crossed her arms, realizing too late how callous a statement that was.</p><p>He shook his head sadly, still leaning on the boat railing. “<em>Nein</em>, the dock will be too far for me to teleport back to. And the ferry doesn't run again until morning. Then again, we could have a drink at the pub. It's not far from the dock on the mainland.”</p><p>Kitty looked quickly over her shoulder at the slowly retreating dock of Muir Island. “No. You're all liars.”</p><p>He laughed. “Then you belong among us, <em>fraulein</em>, for we know you have lied to us about many things. I'm only offering you an opportunity to share the truth.”</p><p>“I'm not sharing anything with you.” She had stopped backing away, which allowed him to sit down on a bench near the railing. She watched him panting. “What's wrong with you?”</p><p>“Oh, you wish to know about me, but you tell me nothing about you?”</p><p>“I was trying to be nice.” She scowled and tried to fold her arms, but the motion of the ferry was too rough. She let go to grab the railing again. “I don't know why I bothered.”</p><p>“Seems more like nosy to me.”</p><p>“Fine. I don't care anyway.” She tipped her chin up defiantly and looked out at the water.</p><p>“I believe you when you say you did not bring a bomb,” Kurt said, “By which I mean, I do not think you <em>knew</em> about it. But neither am I lying when I tell you it was there. Whoever you are working for sent you here to kill us, at worst, or destroy years of research at best, and made you an unwitting accomplice to what could have been murder. You could have been killed as well. Does that not <em>bother</em> you? Why don't you tell me who did this to you?”</p><p>Kitty felt irrational anger swelling up within her. How dare he act like he knew Ms. Frost? How dare he assume Kitty was an unwilling agent? No matter that she was exactly that, she was furious.</p><p>“I'm not telling you anything, you creep.”</p><p>He sighed, looked back at the island again, and stood up. “Have it your way,” he said, “But should you change your mind, you know where to find us.” Then he burst into a puff of purple smoke and vanished. Kitty waved the fumes away, choking on the sulfuric odor. She glanced back at the dock, wondering if Rogue would be waiting, but what she saw instead was Nightcrawler tumbling off the end into the sea.</p><p>“What the hell?” she said aloud to no one. She glanced back at the captain but he hadn't seen. It took Kitty only a few seconds to process what had just happened. Either he was faking, betting that she'd come to his rescue, or he was really in trouble. She considered what she knew about him. Nightcrawler was a teleporter, but he was clearly not in top form. Based on what happened when he tried to catch her on her way to the dock, she guessed he had exhausted himself already and hadn't made it back to the dock this time. All her considerations lasted only a second, and then there was only one thing to do.</p><p>Kitty jumped off the ferry, running towards the dock on the air, rather than swimming. They were quite a ways from it, and when she arrived, she feared she'd never find him. By the time she reached him, he could be dead. As she ran, she reminded herself that Xavier's people were the killers. She and Ms. Frost and the others at the Academy were good people. They were the ones trying to help mutants. That was the only reason she was going to help this mutant.</p><p>When she finally reached the dock, she solidified, took a deep breath, and plunged below the gray waves, intangible. She swam straight down and by some small miracle, found him. She guessed he'd tried to reach the surface, but had simply been too weak to manage. Maybe he'd held on to the dock posts. It didn't matter. It only mattered that she get him to the surface.</p><p>She had to be solid to grab him, but once she did, she could phase him along with her as she swam upwards. He was heavy and limp, and pulling him onto the dock, even intangible, was not easy. She fell onto the wood beside him, and immediately rolled him to his side. He was motionless and not breathing.</p><p>She knew First Aid—it was a requirement at the Academy—so she took his pulse first. Weak, but there. No CPR, just mouth-to-mouth then. Scrunching her eyes shut, trying not to think about the fangs and the fuzz and the fact he was a total stranger, she attempted to breathe for him.</p><p>After three tries, he vomited water all over her.</p><p>She spat and spat as he coughed and coughed, and she stood up. “Don't die. I'm going to get Dr. MacTaggert.” And she took off running up the path. She was exhausted, but no matter who he was, she was not going to abandon someone to die. She pounded on the door, slumping against it. She thought no one would come, and she started yelling. “It's Nightcrawler, you gotta come now, he's hurt.”</p><p>When Dr. MacTaggert once again appeared on the video intercom, Kitty shrieked. “He's on the dock.”</p><p>The video cut off abruptly, and seconds later, she heard the doctor running, then burst through the door. She didn't pause to speak to Kitty, just headed straight to the dock.</p><p>“What did you do to him?” Rogue said, standing over Kitty, who had collapsed in a shivering heap.</p><p>“<em>Nothing</em>! He was drowning!”</p><p>Rogue turned on her heel and flew down to the dock. Kitty couldn't see anything because of the slant of the landscape. At last, their heads and then the rest of them began to appear on the path as they moved closer to her. Rogue supported Nightcrawler, who was dragging his feet, but stubbornly trying to walk. She caught snippets of the doctor scolding him, stopping only when they got close enough for her to turn on Kitty instead.</p><p>“Well, look who's still here,” Moira said, still on a roll. “Our little troublemaker. Feeling guilty about what ye did to us at last?”</p><p>Kitty shot to her feet, regretted it, but held her ground. “I didn't do <em>anything</em> to <em>anybody</em>! I saved his damn life, but I don't know why I'd expect <em>people like you</em> to care about that.” Kitty pushed away from the wall and started back down the path once again. She'd just sleep on the dock and catch the ferry in the morning, or hell, airwalk across the water tonight.</p><p>“Moira,” Nightcrawler said, his voice hoarse and raspy, but somehow still chastising.</p><p>Moira growled, then turned to Kitty, who had passed them already. “Fine. Come back, you ornery girl, I know you saved him, and you could probably use some food.”</p><p>“No thank you. You'll probably put me in jail or poison me or something.” She kept going.</p><p>“Please.” Kitty stopped at the request, made not by Moira, but by Nightcrawler. He coughed again, a harsh barking sound, and she turned around. Why the hell did she care about that creepy guy? She <em>didn't</em>, of course.</p><p>She folded her arms and stared at the two of them. Moira put her free hand on her hip and stared right back. “You have to stay now, or this fool will never let me hear the end of it.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder at Nightcrawler. “No one's gonna put you in jail.”</p><p>“Sure. I bet you tell all the accused criminals you meet the same thing.”</p><p>Moira raised a brow. “Actually....you're right.” Kurt coughed again behind her. “Forget it, do what you want girl. Come on, Rogue, let's get Kurt to the infirmary already.” Kitty stood on the path until they were almost in the door, then with a grunt of self-loathing, she followed.</p><p>She had no idea what would happen when she showed up with no answers. Ms. Frost might be angry. What if she got kicked out of the school? Kitty was supposed to have met the car on the mainland hours ago, but she had no way of contacting the driver or Ms. Frost or anyone. “<em>We can't let you take a phone in case it gets lost or they take it from you. If they find it, they'll have all our contacts and they'll come after all of us</em>.”</p><p>Looking back, Kitty should have been far more suspicious than she was.</p><p>She scurried after Nightcrawler and Dr. MacTaggert, following them to the infirmary, where Rogue helped him onto one of the medical beds. He continued hacking and coughing, and Moira hooked him up to some equipment. From the doorway, Kitty watched, chewing her lip and repeating to herself that she didn't care.</p><p>“Rogue, take her to the kitchen and give her something to eat,” Moira said as she fussed over Nightcrawler.</p><p>Rogue motioned to Kitty, glancing back one last time at her teammate. “Come on.”</p><p>Kitty didn't dare disobey. She shivered in her wet clothes, leaving a path of droplets behind her. In the kitchen, Rogue pulled out a jar of peanut butter and dropped it on the table along with a sack of bread.</p><p>“May I have a knife?” Kitty asked, hardly daring to look at Rogue's face. She was terrified the woman would reach out and kill her with her deadly touch.</p><p>“Ah don't trust you.”</p><p>“That's obvious,” Kitty said, waffling between anger and fear.</p><p>Rogue dropped a butter knife onto the table and tossed her a paper plate. “So, where were ya hidin' when we looked for you?”</p><p>“Under the dock.”</p><p>“Ah looked there.”</p><p>“I know.”</p><p>Rogue scowled at her but didn't pursue it any further. She tapped her fingers on the table while Kitty spread peanut butter on the bread and started eating. It made her mouth sticky, and Rogue got up and brought a glass of water.</p><p>“Thanks,” Kitty said around the peanut butter.</p><p>“He coulda died, y'know.”</p><p>“That's not my fault,” Kitty said.</p><p>“The hell it ain't. If you hadn't run off, he wouldn'ta chased you, and wouldn't've gone 'portin' after you.”</p><p>“It's not my fault he's <em>stupid</em>.”</p><p>“Don't you dare!” Rogue lunged to her feet in anger, and Kitty dropped the peanut-buttery knife and jumped up, too.</p><p>“You're crazy,” Kitty said, eyes wide now in fear as Rogue clenched her fists and glared at Kitty again. Kitty slipped through the wall and ran.</p><p>Moira stepped out of the infirmary as Kitty approached, skidding to a halt just in time to avoid plowing through her. “What's all this?” Moira demanded, looking at Kitty, who spun around to face her attacker.</p><p>“Ask your <em>bully</em> back there,” Kitty spat, then phased through Moira and into the infirmary. Nightcrawler had propped himself up on his elbows, looking confused and concerned. She didn't have more than a second before Rogue would be on her. “Hey,” she said to Nightcrawler. “Don't die. You're the nicest one here.” And she dropped through the floor as Rogue flew in, fury on her face.</p><p>Ms. Frost was right about the X-Men. They were—mostly—terrible people.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Game</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rogue had to take the long way out of the building to follow Kitty, who phased out of the research center and streaked down to the dock. There was no ferry, the water was still choppy, but the air itself was fine. Kitty ran across, hoping the car would be waiting for her. It wasn't. She wasted a glance for the island, and was glad she did, because Rogue's vaguely green blurry form was heading her way.</p><p>These people never gave up! She was just <em>one kid</em>, not worth anything, so why were they so desperate to catch her? Kitty headed into the woods, staying close to the road so she could follow it. She knew they weren't far from a small town, and she might be able to lose Rogue there. On the island, everything was under surveillance, but here, surely, they would have to look for her the traditional way. The rain began as a soft mist in the air, like dust, and increased until Kitty could hardly see in front of her. Through breaks in the rain, she sometimes saw Rogue above her, and phased mostly into the ground until the woman flew past. Even the rain wasn't slowing her down.</p><p>At last Kitty reached the town. Exhausted, soaked, and hungry, Kitty skittered along dark streets until she found an overhang in back of a shop where the light was burned out. She huddled under the awning and hoped Rogue would give up.</p><p>It felt like hours had passed, and Kitty remained awake and alert. She couldn't rest, not in this rain and cold, soaking through her clothes and her skin and making even her bones feel cold. As soon as morning came, she'd find a phone and call Ms. Frost on the school's emergency number. The rain ended at last, but Kitty stayed where she was. She didn't have the energy to run anymore.</p><p>A few times, people passed the end of the little alleyway where she was huddled, usually with umbrellas, in a hurry, probably heading home from bars or movies. She tried to ignore them, but any of them could be Rogue, still after her. She tried to make herself small. If anyone looked down the alley with a flashlight, they'd see her. In the dark, though, she might be camouflaged enough to read as a shadowy cat on the back porch.</p><p>She didn't hear the approach of the dark figure who now stood at the end of the alley. She had glanced away and back, and there he was. She was sure he was staring directly at her. He had a bag in one hand, and a cane or maybe it was a folded umbrella, in the other.</p><p>“Please don't run away,” said the man, and she jerked her head up at the sound of his voice. How had Nightcrawler found her?</p><p>She uncurled, ready to bolt anyway.</p><p>“I brought you some food and clothes,” he said, tossing the bag to her, like she was a stray cat, too skittish to come closer.</p><p>“Why can't you all just leave me alone?”</p><p>“I suppose it would be redundant to mention the uh, <em>device</em> you brought us,” he said, avoiding the word <em>bomb</em> in public. Kitty stood up and retrieved the bag. He wasn't lying about what was in it.</p><p>“Why did you do this?”</p><p>“You saved my life. I thought it only proper to help you out a little. Rogue isn't here, no one is going to come after you anymore.”</p><p>“Yeah, right.”</p><p>“You have my word.”</p><p>“Like I'd believe <em>that</em>,” Kitty spat, pulling out a sandwich and tearing into it.</p><p>“Why not? Have I lied to you yet?”</p><p>She eyed him. “Doesn't matter. I don't trust you.”</p><p>He still stood there, making Kitty nervous. She looked quickly behind her, suspecting a trap.</p><p>“It's just me out here.” He let his hands drop to his sides. “I only wanted to thank you and wish you well.”</p><p>Kitty snorted. “That's funny.”</p><p>She couldn't see his face in the dark, the way he seemed to become one with the shadows. Only the streetlight showed her where he was. She imagined he didn't look very happy though.</p><p>“I'm entirely serious. I'm not used to being limited to teleporting only once a day. I keep hoping...never mind. Good bye, Ms. Parker. I hope you find the answers you're seeking.”</p><p>Answers? He must mean the interview. He started walking away and just before he disappeared around the corner, she called, “Hey. Thanks for this,” and she held up the bag. “And for...thanks.”</p><p>He stopped and came back into the light. “If circumstances were different,” he said, slowly, as if testing the words even as he spoke them, “I think we could have been friends.”</p><p>Kitty laughed again. “You know what? Maybe. But here we are.”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, here we are.” He glanced at the sky. “There are a few hours before dawn. We could walk to the square.”</p><p>She stopped chewing and squinted at him. He was serious. “You're serious.”</p><p>He looked at the ground and shrugged. “<em>Ja</em>.”</p><p>“So...<em>pretend</em> we're friends or something?”</p><p>“Something like that.” She thought she heard him chuckling.</p><p>“And I'm just supposed to believe it's not a trap?”</p><p>He shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat. Kitty shivered again at the sight of his warm coat, and remembered how cold and wet her own clothes were. She looked into the bag again. She was either stupid or gullible or maybe both, but for some reason, she wanted to trust him.</p><p>“Know anywhere I can change?”</p><p>She could see the white of his teeth when he smiled. “<em>Ja</em>, there is a public restroom down the road.”</p><p>Remaining intangible, she approached him at the end of the alley, and he stepped away from her, giving her plenty of opportunity to inspect the street and the area around him. “There is no one but me.”</p><p>She didn't see anyone, but she knew that didn't mean anything. Hesitantly she followed him, swiveling her head around every few seconds to see if anyone was following her. At the restroom building, she phased through the wall instead of using the door, in case someone lay in wait for her inside. It was empty and blessedly warm.</p><p>Finally warmer and dry and not hungry, she carefully surveyed the area before coming out of the restroom. Nightcrawler hadn't moved from the spot where she'd left him, in the shadowy space outside the circle of lamplight, where she could only see him if she was looking for him. Anyone else wouldn't notice a thing.</p><p>“Better?” he said when he saw her.</p><p>“Yes. Thank you. I don't know why you—”</p><p>“Stop. For now, no business. We are two strangers who have just met and at dawn, we will go our separate ways.”</p><p>“That's like something from an overly dramatic movie,” she said again.</p><p>“Hm, <em>ja</em>, but I do enjoy movies, especially old ones. Do you?”</p><p>The guy was serious. He intended to make small talk with her for the next three hours in the middle of the night, in the middle of a small town in Scotland. He was crazy.</p><p>“Yeah, uh, yeah I do. Science fiction stuff, action.”</p><p>“Excellent choices. Myself, I prefer a good swashbuckling pirate adventure, or nearly any of the versions of Robin Hood that exist. Errol Flynn was my childhood idol.”</p><p>“Are you serious? That guy was a shithead.”</p><p>“I know,” he hung his head a little as they walked. Kitty stayed far enough away that he couldn't simply reach out and grab her, and he made no move to come closer. She tucked her bag of wet clothes under her arm, adjusting it as the dampness began soaking through the canvas. “But I didn't at the time. Now, I prefer to idolize his characters, not the man himself.”</p><p>“I don't think I've seen any of his movies.”</p><p>“That's a shame. Some are very good. Do you have a favorite movie?”</p><p>“Tons. Star Wars, for one.”</p><p>“The original three, or the ones that came after?”</p><p>“Oh definitely the first ones.”</p><p>They talked movies until they reached the town square. There was a statue in a little green space, surrounded by a low metal fence. Kurt stepped over it to get closer to the statue. It was a little girl with a basket of flowers in her hands. There was a bench on the other side, and Nightcrawler strolled over to it. To Kitty's surprise, he didn't sit down on it, but rather perched on the back, almost like a bird.</p><p>“Is that even comfortable?” she said before she could stop herself.</p><p>“Not for you, I'm sure. For me, <em>ja</em>.”</p><p>Slowly, Kitty approached the bench, wet from the rain, and she wiped at it ineffectively with the already wet bag. “I guess it has some benefits, huh?” she said, offering a smile.</p><p>“We can keep walking,” he said.</p><p>“No, this is fine, I got most of the water off.”</p><p>Awkward silence stretched until Nightcrawler, determined to play the roles he'd set for them, asked her where she grew up.</p><p>“Deerfield, Illinois. It's just outside of Chicago.”</p><p>“As I said, I'm from Winzeldorf. I was in a traveling circus.”</p><p>“That is probably the craziest childhood I ever heard of from someone I knew.”</p><p>“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”</p><p>Kitty blinked and then laughed at his choice of quotations. Apparently he'd also seen <em>The Princess Bride</em>. Kitty loved that movie.</p><p>“Nice quote, Inigo. I don't mean <em>crazy</em>-crazy, more like...unusual. What did you do in the circus?”</p><p>He grinned, showing all his fangs, then leaped backwards off the bench, executing a perfect landing. Kitty's eyes went wide as she twisted around to see him. He did a few more flips for her entertainment, then bowed low in front of her. “I was an acrobat. Trapeze, mostly, but I did floor and high-wire as well.”</p><p>“Wow. That's pretty amazing. I only did ballet.”</p><p>“Don't say 'only' to that. Ballet takes a great deal of strength and stamina. I prefer ballroom dancing, myself.”</p><p>“You do not.”</p><p>“I do. Dancing, fencing, acrobatics...really, it's all similar if you think about it.”</p><p>She did, and decided she agreed.</p><p>“I did cotillion, too, but ballet was always my favorite.”</p><p>“A shame there is no music now, I would ask you to dance, though I suspect you would decline,” he said, smiling to show he meant no harm.</p><p>“If you say so.”</p><p>“You wouldn't turn me down?”</p><p>She shrugged. “I don't know. You didn't ask me.”</p><p>He hesitated, then held out his hand. “Would you care to dance with me, <em>fraulein</em>?”</p><p>If Ms. Frost could see her right now, she would definitely get kicked out of the school. “Sure,” she said, and took his hand.</p><p>He put his other hand around her waist as she laid one hand on his shoulder and he counted off the beats. They waltzed in the little green space until Kitty started laughing and couldn't stop.</p><p>“<em>Was ist es</em>?” he stopped and backed up.</p><p>Kitty looked up, surprised to see hurt on his face. “I'm not laughing at <em>you</em>,” she said quickly. “It's...look, we're in the middle of a...whatever this is with this statue, and we don't know each other and our teams—I mean, it's just...it's funny.”</p><p>He offered her his arm then, and escorted her back to the bench, pressing a chaste kiss to her knuckles. “Thank you for the dance, <em>fraulein</em>.”</p><p>“You should call me Kitty,” she said.</p><p>“Mm?”</p><p>“Instead of <em>girl</em>.”</p><p>“Oh, it's not meant that way...it is not an insult.”</p><p>“I know. But...if we're <em>friends</em>...”</p><p>He nodded, taking up his perch on the bench again. He glanced at her and nodded again. “All right. Kätzchen it is.”</p><p>“Is that my name in German?”</p><p>“<em>Nein</em>—no, it is kitten. Like kitty, but...not a name.”</p><p>“Say it again.”</p><p>“Kätzchen.”</p><p>“Okay. I like that better.”</p><p>“I'm glad. You may call me Kurt.”</p><p>“So you don't get a nickname?”</p><p>“That is not up to me.”</p><p>“I'll have to think up a good one. For the next...for if we ever meet up again.” She looked away. The first hint of pink was starting to show between the buildings.</p><p>“It has been nice getting to know you,” he said, staring at the same growing line of pink.</p><p>“Yeah. It has.” She hesitated, afraid of breaking the spell, but wanting now to clear the air. Maybe that was his goal all along, but she didn't care. “I'm sorry about...about what I did. I swear I didn't know. It was supposed to be a bug, not a bomb.”</p><p>He didn't look at her. “I believe you.” He hopped off the back of the bench, and sat beside her.</p><p>“Oh, it's wet there,” she said, too late.</p><p>“It doesn't matter. I have to leave soon. Kätzchen,” he said, watching Kitty try not to smile. He touched her cheek, and she didn't pull away. “Please be careful. The people you are working with...I think they may not be as good as you believe them to be. I'm not saying they're <em>evil</em>, but...please be careful.”</p><p>She agreed with him, but she wasn't about to tell him so. “I will. You too. The X-Men aren't as heaven-sent as you think, either.”</p><p>He raised a brow. “Is that so? I'm afraid you have an advantage over me here, as I don't know your affiliation.”</p><p>“I know.” She considered, before silently berating herself for even falling for this. She was sure now that this was all an elaborate trick of some kind, but she was tired enough to fall for it anyway. “I know what the X-Men do,” she said quietly. “They destroy things and recruit children into their army and claim they're doing it for mutant kind, but all they really do is make enemies who come after you and the rest of us.”</p><p>She looked away, fiddling with the bag in her lap. He was probably angry now, and that would be the end of the false friendship game. Frost's warning about their propensity for killing flashed through her memory, but she wasn't afraid of Nightcrawler at all. Odd.</p><p>He surprised her with his answer. “There is truth to what you say. But it wasn't like that. We were a <em>family</em>. We do have too many enemies, though I wish we did not. Now, as for recruiting <em>children</em>...” He sighed. “<em>Ja</em>, that is true too, I suppose, but most of them went to school. They didn't fight, and certainly not as an army. That is a bit of an exaggeration.” He scratched the back of his neck and glanced at her. “And I would never send one out with a dangerous device and not tell them. Nor would I send one on her first mission alone, without backup.”</p><p>She swallowed. He was smart.</p><p>“It's that obvious?”</p><p>“Very much.”</p><p>“Well...it may be kinda screwed up, but I'm glad I met you anyway.”</p><p>“Are you?”</p><p>“Yeah. The X-Men may be jerks, but you aren't. You're nice. You could've just kidnapped me or something and instead you talked to me and...and danced with me. And that was nice.”</p><p>“<em>Danke</em>, I enjoyed it as well.”</p><p>“Hey...what happened to you? I mean...why are you at Muir Island?”</p><p>“Ah. I wondered when you might ask that. I was injured in an ambush by a hostile group of mutants. One called Riptide shot me through with hundreds of barbs. I nearly bled to death and was in a coma for several months. Rogue was damaged by another, who snuck up behind her and shorted out her powers for a time.”</p><p>“What powers?” She already knew, but she was curious what lie he'd tell her.</p><p>“She absorbs others' powers. Too much and they die. Her injuries actually allowed her, for the first time since her teen years, to touch another person's skin. Regaining her powers has been harder on her than losing them was. As for me, I've lost most of my teleporting ability. Once a day seems to be my limit right now, and even that is taxing. That is what led to my accident earlier.”</p><p>He stood up, stretching, as the first golden rays of sunlight began to light up the town. “I have to go. I'm sure your people will be here soon, to find you.”</p><p>Kitty stood up, too. Suddenly this felt too hard to do. It felt like a real friendship, not something they'd been playing at to kill time. “Yeah. Probably. I probably have to call them first, so they can find me.”</p><p>He shook his head. “I doubt it. There's a tracker in your clothing.”</p><p>“A—what? How do you know?”</p><p>“How do you think I found you?”</p><p>She was dumbfounded. “Oh.”</p><p>“Good-bye, Kätzchen,” he said, bowed once more, and started to walk away. “Be careful. There are groups in the world who have nothing on their mind but death and hatred. Don't fall in with them. It won't end well.”</p><p>“You mean like how it didn't end well for the X-Men?”</p><p>“Their mistake was always in caring too much. But that's still a better way to go than in hate.” She shifted on her feet as he hunched his shoulders inside his coat and pulled up the hood.</p><p>“Hey, Kurt?”</p><p>He stopped again, and impulsively she threw her arms around him. “Get better, and be careful, and thanks, and...and bye.”</p><p>He teleported away then, probably to get as far away from his crazy enemy as possible.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Back To School</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ten minutes later, her driver pulled up beside the little green space with the statue. He opened the door for her, without a word, and drove her to the airport. He told her nothing and she asked no questions. It was obvious now that there were many things she wasn't being told. She didn't know if she wanted to, either. Better, probably, to go along with it instead. Even if Ms. Frost wasn't sharing everything with her students, Kitty figured she was still better off there than with Xavier's lemmings.</p><p>She spent the first hour of the flight home trying to imagine what it would take for someone to believe Xavier's lies, to the point they would lay down their lives for his cause. Had he brainwashed those people? Was Nightcrawler suffering from such a delusion? Charles Xavier was a telepath, reportedly the strongest in the world. He could easily manipulate unsuspecting people into believing him, and Kitty believed he would, and had already done so. Kitty shuddered and was grateful once again that she had wound up with Ms. Frost instead of Charles Xavier. The rest of the flight, she slept.</p><p>
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</p><p>Back at school, Ms. Frost was eager to speak to her, and seemed greatly concerned at the unexpected delay. “Are you all right?” she asked as Kitty dropped into the chair beside her desk.</p><p>Sleeping on the plane hadn't been very restful, and she wanted to change and sleep in her own bed. But mission debriefing came first. “I'm fine. Tired.”</p><p>“Tell me what happened. Why were you delayed?”</p><p>“I didn't even get through the first question when MacTaggert called me out. She had one of the X-Men in there with her, trying to intimidate me, so I bolted. There was some chasing back and forth involved, and eventually I...I got away.” Kitty had already decided she wouldn't tell Ms. Frost about saving Nightcrawler, and especially <em>not</em> about last night.</p><p>Ms. Frost's eyes were wide and she steepled her hands as she listened.</p><p>“Oh,” Kitty said, watching Frost's face carefully, “And the bug was supposedly a bomb.”</p><p>Ms. Frost shot out of her chair, hands flattened on the table. “What?” she cried. If she was acting, she was very good, Kitty thought.</p><p>“That's what they said. I didn't believe them, but they were pretty adamant about it.”</p><p>“Liars. I'm sure they planted it to trick you. How did they know it was a ruse?”</p><p>“I don't know. Dr. MacTaggert seemed to know right away, and Nightcrawler was there, and then Rogue chased me all over.”</p><p>“Were you not able to learn anything then, my poor darling?”</p><p>“Actually, I did learn some things.” She told Ms. Frost about their injuries, starting with Rogue. She found when it was time to talk about Nightcrawler, it wasn't easy. She wanted to keep his secrets. His little game had worked too well. She thought of him as a friend now, and she had to get that idea out of her head. He was her enemy—no, that was too harsh. He was her opponent.</p><p>“The other guy,” she began, referring to him that way to distance herself, “has almost lost his teleportation ability. He said once a day is his limit.”</p><p>Ms. Frost was impressed with how much Kitty had learned.</p><p>“Nightcrawler is a terrifying fellow, isn't he? Can you imagine working with him?” Ms. Frost shivered visibly. “His tail looks like a giant blue snake.” She made a striking motion with her hand as she grimaced at the image.</p><p>“Uh...yeah.” Kitty disagreed, but didn't want to argue. “He admitted Xavier recruits children and wrecks stuff up, and he said it's not really an army, but he also didn't deny they train to fight.”</p><p>Ms. Frost seemed pleased overall. “You did so well, Kitty. I'm radiantly proud of you. Even with a few mishaps, you didn't give us away, and you learned a great deal more than I imagined you would. Take today off and relax. You can resume your classes tomorrow.” Ms. Frost beamed at her, and Kitty felt proud, now that she was removed from the situation. The only troubling thing was the question of the bomb. <em>Had</em> she planted a bomb instead of a bug? And if she had, where had it come from?</p><p>No. She <em>hadn't</em>. It was a ploy by clever X-Men to trick her and trip her up so she'd reveal more to them than she wanted to. She refused to consider it any more after that. Kitty rose to leave, but Ms. Frost stopped her before she reached the door.</p><p>“Kitty, since you did so well, have you given any thought to the other mission I proposed to you?”</p><p>“Not much. But I don't know if I'm cut out for this, Ms. Frost.”</p><p>“I understand. You had quite a scare. Perhaps in time you will consider it?”</p><p>“Sure. I'll think about it.”</p><p>Returning to the routine of school wasn't as easy as she expected it to be. Her mind kept returning to Scotland, and the people there, questioning everything she was learning at the Massachusetts Academy. She argued with herself every night for a week. Of <em>course</em> the X-Men wanted to make her doubt her team. Of <em>course</em> they wanted her to think she was being lied to. She couldn't let Kurt's—<em>Nightcrawler's</em> kindness influence her like this. He was one of them, he'd always be one of them, and he was as much to blame for the messes Xavier's people made as any of the rest of them.</p><p>She couldn't help looking them up again. She had memorized everything in the book about Nightcrawler already, and almost everything about Rogue and Dr. MacTaggert, but seeing it printed in other sources confirmed for her what the Frost-issued book had told her.</p><p>Everything she found so far verified what he told her about himself and Rogue. He was German, from Bavaria, biological parents unknown, raised in a Romani traveling circus. Rogue was an orphan, raised in Mississippi, unable to touch people. Well, just because <em>that</em> was all true didn't mean anything <em>else</em> he told her was. So far, though, she hadn't caught him in a lie.</p><p>One day at lunch, she dared raise a question to her friends about whether or not all of the X-Men were as corrupt as they were being taught.</p><p>“Do you think it's possible for someone to believe in a lie, but...but do it right?”</p><p>“What do you mean, Kitty?” Isla asked as she picked at her spaghetti and sauce.</p><p>“I mean, can someone be a good person even if they follow a villain?”</p><p>“Who are you asking about?” Isla said.</p><p>Kitty twirled her own spaghetti, wondering if she should have brought this up at all. “Y'know, hypothetically...like, take the X-Men for—”</p><p>“Oh god, <em>no</em>, they're all horrible,” Isla declared. She stabbed into her spaghetti. “They should be in jail, every one of them.”</p><p>“You really think so?”</p><p>Gunther joined them, his plate piled high with two servings. “You got enough there?” Isla teased. “Do you think any of the X-Men could be good people?”</p><p>“Hell no, they follow that ass Xavier.”</p><p>“See?” Isla said, as if that was proof enough.</p><p>“Yeah,” Kitty said, hoping to end the discussion. “I guess you're right.”</p><p>“Of course we are. I mean, maybe there are people in other groups who could be okay, but the X-Men? They're all brain warped by that insane telepath who thinks he's a fucking <em>god</em>. None of them can think for themselves. <em>That's</em> blind loyalty right there. You <em>know</em> that, Kitty, we were in the same class.” Isla tucked her hair behind her ear and gave Kitty a wake-up look.</p><p>“I know, I know, it was just a thought.” She scooped up another forkful and changed the subject, “So what are your plans for this weekend?”</p><p>As the weeks dragged by, Kitty couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling that followed her. It settled in her gut and kept her up nights. During the day she ignored it, but at night it was harder. She kept thinking about her mission, and more specifically, someone from her mission. She tried not to, tried to think about anything else, anyone else, but more often than not it was his face that she woke up to in her mind's eye.</p><p>She tried to research deeper into the information available to her about Xavier's army, but there were only a few websites that had anything on the school or the man, and once she had scoured those, there was little else available. Xavier certainly knew how to keep his people out of the news. Probably he used his mind powers for that, too. Even so, she found several personal stories, and a few more biographies of the team, but the feeling of having forgotten something important, or not realizing something important, nagged at her still.</p><p>
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</p><p>Emma Frost's phone rang, the number on the screen alerting her to the caller's identity. She braced herself. “Hello, this is Ms. Frost.”</p><p>“Report.”</p><p>“The mission was a success. She was able to make contact with the remaining members and bring back data on their injuries and power losses.”</p><p>“And?”</p><p>“The bomb failed.”</p><p>“Fuck.”</p><p>“It gets worse. She doesn't want to do the Cerebro job.”</p><p>“How did you manage to screw this up, Frost? You'll do whatever it takes to force her—”</p><p>“I know. Give me a little time. You know it works better if they're...<em>convinced</em> instead of coerced. I'm continuing with my long-range plan. In fact, I think one important player has just arrived.” She clicked the video monitor to her outer office and said, “I'll be right with you.” To her boss, she said, “I have to go.”</p><p>“Don't fail us.”</p><p>“I won't.” She hung up and buzzed her office door open.</p><p>
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</p><p>Kitty was on her way to class one morning, passing Ms. Frost's office as she did every day. The door was cracked and from within came voices, Ms. Frost and someone Kitty didn't know. She slowed her pace, wondering who it was. A new student? The door opened, and Ms. Frost stepped out.</p><p>“Ah, Kitty, just who I was hoping to see. Would you come in for a moment?”</p><p>Kitty stepped into the office. There was a young man there, tall and handsome, with dark hair and eyes and a wide smile. He stood up when she came in.</p><p>“Kitty, this is Nicholas Kensington. He's a new student in your class. I was hoping you'd be able to show him around today. He'll be in most of your classes.”</p><p>“Sure, Ms. Frost. I'm on my way to Physics right now.” She shifted her books to shake Nicholas's hand.</p><p>“Wonderful,” Ms. Frost said. “Nicholas, I'm sure you'll enjoy your time here. I'm so pleased you've chosen the Massachusetts Academy.”</p><p>“Thank you, Ms. Frost,” he said with a slight bow. “Nice to meet you, Kitty.”</p><p>“Nice to meet you, Nicholas.”</p><p>“You can call me Nick,” he said with a gleaming smile. Kitty's heart flipped. He was really cute.</p><p>She led him down the hall, and he sat beside her in all her classes that day, and ate lunch with her friends. He was funny, and smart, and the longer she spent in his company, the more she liked him. By the end of the week, she had a raging crush on him.</p><p>He met her in the hallway after her last class that Friday. “Hey, Kitty. You wanna go into town and see a movie with me tonight?”</p><p>Kitty's cheeks warmed in a glowing blush. “Yeah. That sounds great, Nick.”</p><p>“Cool.” He grinned, then waved and ran off.</p><p>Nick told her when he met her at her dorm that he'd gotten permission from Ms. Frost to take one of the school cars for their date. Kitty blushed in happiness at the word <em>date</em>. He took her to dinner first, then to the movies. Kitty barely watched the movie. It was hard when she was flung across Nick's body as they kissed.</p><p>He ate lunch with her the next day, and they decided to go out again later that week, if Ms. Frost allowed it. She did, and this time, when they returned to the school, he invited her to his room. They sat on his bed and kissed some more, and Kitty thought this was exactly what she'd dreamed of having in a boyfriend. In the middle of kissing, Nick suddenly moved his hand to her breast, and Kitty pulled her mouth away in a soft gasp of surprise.</p><p>He backed up, stammering an apology, but she stopped him with another kiss and put his hand under her shirt. That led to her own hand sliding under his shirt, until they were both half naked and squirming on the bed. From there it was short work to finish undressing.</p><p>Kitty was happy. Her life seemed to finally be moving in the right direction. When her junior year finished, she chose not to go home, but to stay at the school and assist with some of the freshman summer classes. Over time, the incident on Muir Island became a memory she thought of only occasionally, usually when a blue demon featured in her nightmares.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Memory</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Kurt teleported away from Kitty Parker in the little Scottish town square, he didn't go far. He retreated to the shadows between the buildings behind her, and watched. He already had his suspicions about who she was working for, based on their conversation, but he wanted to be certain. He didn't have to wait long. A car pulled up not long after he left, leaving him wondering if they'd been watching as well, and Kitty got in. He didn't see anyone inside, but Rogue was ready to follow the vehicle from the air.</p><p>“When they get to the airport, place this tracker on their plane. We should be able to get a good idea of who she's working for based on where it lands.”</p><p>Kurt expected to come close to confirming his suspicions that Kitty was working with Emma Frost within the next eight hours.</p><p>As soon as Rogue took off to follow the car, Kurt headed back towards the ferry. He didn't like deceiving the girl, but she was obviously lying, and he needed to know if someone was after them. With the X-Men dead, he and Rogue were all that remained of the team, and Moira was also a target. He wasn't going to take a chance on someone killing the rest of them off.</p><p>Fortunately, the bomb Kitty had planted hadn't been very powerful. It couldn't be, in order to be small enough to fool her into thinking it was a bug. He shook his head as he trudged along the road. She was an innocent in all of this. He was convinced she was being manipulated, and it made him wish he had more time to talk to her. It felt like he had reached her on some level, though she could have been merely playing a part.</p><p>He reached the ferry just before it departed the mainland, and sat on the upper deck, watching Muir Island come closer and closer. He tried not to think about what might happen to Kitty if she disappointed her boss. Emma Frost, if that's who she was working for, was not known for her forgiveness.</p><p>Of course Frost and the Massachusetts Academy made the most sense. Kitty was young, smart, and had a modicum of training. She didn't have experience, though, and had made rookie mistakes. Surely Frost would have accounted for that? Maybe she had. The woman was devious for sure, and nothing would surprise him coming from her. Maybe Kitty's mission had been more about sending a message than doing actual damage. He wished he knew.</p><p>Back at the research station, he keyed in the security code and went to the computer lab to see if Rogue had planted the tracking device yet. It was online, so she'd be back soon. Moira joined him to see how the plan was going, and check on him.</p><p>“How are you feeling?” she asked, listening to his heart and lungs while he tracked the plane across the Atlantic. He heard Rogue come in downstairs.</p><p>“Fine,” he said.</p><p>Moira scowled at him. “It was a daft plan, staying out all night like that in your state. Nearly drowned, weak, not out of your coma three weeks even.”</p><p>“It worked. She talked.”</p><p>“Well, at least there's that. What do you care so much about a wee girl anyway?”</p><p>“I think she's working for Emma Frost, and if she is, we may have trouble coming our way sooner than we'd like. I want to be prepared.” He spun the chair around and faced Moira, as Rogue walked in. “And I think she's being lied to, and manipulated, and you know how I feel about <em>that</em>.”</p><p>“Ah put the tracker on, and it looks like it's workin,” Rogue said. “East coast heading, looks like.”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, which makes me think it's Frost.” Kurt rubbed his chin. “Who else could it be? I don't think Magneto is up to much these days. Do we even know where he is?”</p><p>“No, not since we destroyed his volcano lair. He's been pretty silent. Besides, the girl sounded like one of Frost's t'me.”</p><p>“We'll find out soon enough, I do believe.” Kurt set the tracker to signal his phone when the plane began its initial descent for landing, then went to his room to nap.</p><p>Several hours later, the beeping woke him and he dragged himself down to the computer lab. The plane was landing at Logan International Airport in Massachusetts. He smiled to himself. Then a long-forgotten memory resurfaced and he went looking for Rogue. She was in the living room, looking miserable. She'd canceled her trip to the States after the attack, unwilling to leave Moira and Kurt virtually defenseless.</p><p>Most likely Frost was after Moira's Legacy Virus research. There wasn't anything else on the island worth stealing or destroying. He wondered if they'd already discovered a cure, and wanted to set Moira back. It was possible, and the kind of devious, hateful thing the Hellfire Club would do. Then they could charge a fortune for their cure.</p><p>He perched on the arm of the chair. “You wouldn't remember this, it was before you joined our team,” he said, and Rogue lifted unhappy eyes to him. “We once tried to recruit two new mutants in one night. One in New York, the other in Chicago. Her name was Katherine Pryde and she ended up enrolling in the Massachusetts Academy.”</p><p>“Oh, god, d'you think this is her? The name's different...”</p><p>“Names are easily changed. I think it's likely it's the same girl. The world is full of coincidences, <em>ja</em>?”</p><p>“And Ah say there ain't no such thing.”</p><p>Now he only had to wonder what in the world the Hellfire Club wanted with Moira MacTaggert and two useless X-Men, and why they had sent a teenager to deliver them a bomb.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Senior Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first day of school at the Massachusetts Academy, everyone gathered for a welcome speech in the auditorium. Every year, Ms. Frost welcomed them back, then dismissed the classes one at a time, from Freshman to Seniors. When only the seniors remained, she resumed her place at the podium.</p><p>“This is a turning point in your lives,” she began, smiling out at all forty-three of them. “Today you will make the decision that will determine the course of your life from here out, and after you leave the Academy. Last year, you were given opportunities to experience each option and given the summer to come to a decision. I hope you have all—or at least most of you—made the choice that is right for you.”</p><p>Two assistants began passing out papers to them, and Ms. Frost continued. “Please fill out these forms so we can insure you receive the proper training after classes. Your school day will be slightly shorter than the other classes' in order to accommodate your additional training.”</p><p>Kitty looked at the form in her hand and filled out her name and pertinent information. She glanced around at her classmates, some filling theirs in eagerly and excitedly, some with more trepidation. Kitty looked back at hers and filled in the bubble next to 'college.'</p><p>Ms. Frost called her to her office after the meeting.</p><p>“You're <em>sure</em> this is what you want to do?”</p><p>Kitty didn't know what to say. She'd marked college, didn't that mean it was what she wanted? “Yes.”</p><p>“I admit, I'm surprised. After your mission in Scotland, I thought you would surely choose the team. And you know I was hoping you would help us acquire Cerebro.”</p><p>Kitty fidgeted with her hands in her lap. “I'm sure you remember how poorly that mission went.”</p><p>“It did not go as poorly as you think. Despite setbacks, which are inevitable to any mission, you still managed to accomplish the main goal—acquisition of information vital to our school and the mutant community. Because of you, we learned that neither former X-Man was a threat to us at this time, and close monitoring was all that was necessary to keep ourselves safe.”</p><p>That was a bit of a relief. Kitty hadn't wanted to think about Ms. Frost's plan to get Cerebro. She hadn't wanted the mission, and Ms. Frost had let the subject drop. Odd that she brought it up again now.</p><p>“You have real potential on a team. You're smart, strong, good at improvising, and you don't break under pressure. You'd make a good leader—a <em>role model</em>, and you could use all those skills to help other mutants. We can help protect them from those who would recruit them for evil, especially the X-Men.”</p><p>“But the X-Men are dead.”</p><p>Frost leaned forward. “They aren't dead.”</p><p>“What?” Kitty gripped the arm of her chair in surprise. “Not...not dead? How are they not dead?”</p><p>Ms. Frost shifted in her seat to reach underneath her desk. A screen descended behind her, and with the click of a remote, a video began to play. WNN news was running a story about the X-Men, discovered alive and well in Australia. Kitty stared, transfixed, and shocked.</p><p>“They <em>lied</em> about their deaths?”</p><p>“That they did. You see the kind of people we are working against?” Ms. Frost said, shaking her head in dismay.</p><p>Kitty recalled Nightcrawler talking about losing his found family, his best friend, Rogue's lover. It had all been a lie? Those friends had let them go along thinking for over a year that they were dead when they were hanging out in Australia? Kitty was dumbfounded and angry on their behalf.</p><p>“Those assholes,” she muttered, then clapped a hand over her mouth as Ms. Frost raised a brow. “Sorry.”</p><p>“No need. It's a good descriptor.”</p><p>“I can't believe they'd do that...Nightcrawler and Rogue and Dr. MacTaggert all thought they were dead, and they weren't. That's the <em>worst</em>, who <em>does</em> <em>that</em> to their friends?”</p><p>“The X-Men, darling. You see why we need to act now? They're still in Australia, the school is staffed by children, and acquiring Cerebro's technology will be much more difficult when the X-Men return.”</p><p>“All right, sign me up for the team,” Kitty said.</p><p>
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</p><p>Kitty still went to regular classes, but in addition, she had training every day afterwards for three hours. The routine was similar to her ballet classes from middle school, only longer. Learning about the X-Men's deceit made her determined to lead a team that would never lie like that to their teammates, would never be so hurtful to them, or to anyone. She trained hard, relentlessly pushing herself to be better and better. Training included defense, offense, and a variety of martial arts techniques. Kitty excelled in each.</p><p>There were also classes on various tactics, such as negotiations, planning, conflict resolution, and working with local authorities. Their classes on rival mutant groups were more in-depth and intensive, and included villains they hadn't covered in the basic class. There was also a class on technology and its application to the mutant world, specifically as it pertained to the team. Power dampening technology had become more accurate and reliable, and was a vital part of controlling dangerous mutants. They also learned about holographic imagers, communications devices, and GPS location tech. The technology class was Kitty's favorite.</p><p>
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</p><p>After the winter break, she was assigned to a team. Ms. Frost called her into her office one day after classes, along with Nick, Isla, Gunther, and Kristen. There was a man in the office with her, burly and while not very tall, he looked menacing. He rang all of Kitty's internal alarms, and she tried subtly to put distance between herself and the glowering man with mutton chops.</p><p>“Thank you all for meeting with us today,” Ms. Frost said, her usual smile in place. “I'd like to introduce Mr. Sebastian Shaw, the head of the New York Hellfire Club, which as you know, supports our school in numerous ways. We're very grateful to their support.” Frost gave him a placating smile. Kitty found it nauseating.</p><p>“Thank you, sir,” said Isla, and the others nodded along. Isla stared at Shaw as if he were made of gold. Kitty found that even more nauseating.</p><p>Shaw tipped his head to them, and his smile was a leer. Kitty thought it made him look like a wild boar. She suppressed a shiver and shifted slightly closer to Nick.</p><p>“I'm here with an important bit of news and a job for all of you,” said Shaw, as he paced in front of them, hands clasped behind his back. “We've identified a new threat to mutantkind, coming out of Great Britain. It seems there's a 'hero' group there, calling themselves <em>Excalibur</em>, of all the pompous names. Seem to think they can be Britain's version of the X-Men.”</p><p>Kitty felt her stomach sinking slowly. They were going to send her team to fight Nightcrawler. She thought they were going to the Xavier School to steal Cerebro technology. She didn't want to fight, not him.</p><p>Shaw continued. “They were out of the picture for a time, vanished on a train, but they're back. We also know that in the short time their team has been in operation, they've already caused massive amounts of destruction, including a local lighthouse that was destroyed and portions of London's subway systems. In short, they're doing to Great Britain what the X-Men have been doing here.”</p><p>“Is that our mission? To fight them?” Isla said, eyes wide.</p><p>Shaw took a dramatic stance. “No. We want Cerebro. With it, we can find out for ourselves what they're doing. We'll be able to monitor them, possibly halt some of their destructive acts, and as I'm sure Ms. Frost has told you, we can prevent the recruitment of innocent mutants to an evil cause.”</p><p>There was shocked silence.</p><p>“Unfortunately,” he continued, resuming his pacing with a frown, “the X-Men have already returned from Australia, and I'm afraid we can't risk sending such an amateur team into the Xavier School.” He snarled his displeasure at the obstacle. His teeth were crooked and one was gold. “Ms. Frost and I have another option. We're going to build our own.”</p><p>“Mr. Shaw, Kitty Pryde has already been on a solo mission and performed admirably. I think she would be well placed as their team leader.”</p><p>“Excellent!” He reached out and Kitty was forced to shake his hand. His grip was like iron and his eyes seemed to bore into her brain.</p><p>Kitty felt flushed, and she wasn't sure if it was pride or fear. Ms. Frost reached across her desk and brought over a stack of shirt boxes. “Acquiring the parts for our own Cerebro unit will be your first official team assignment. I took the liberty of ordering these uniforms for you,” she said, handing out the boxes.</p><p>Each of them opened their box eagerly, beaming as they pulled out uniforms that, while unique to each member, were also cohesive enough to mark them as a team. A black base uniform was highlighted in a different color for each of them, along with markings to symbolize their power or code-name in some way. Kitty's was blue, with wavy lines to coordinate with her code-name, Ghost.</p><p>“You'll leave next Friday after we go over some supplemental training in the meantime,” Shaw said, puffing his chest in anticipation. “However, I've observed each of you, and I feel you are all more than ready to take on this new challenge.”</p><p>“How do we get the parts?” Gunther asked, his feet set in a wide stance, arms crossed over his bulky chest.</p><p>Shaw seemed pleased with her question. “You need some final training A group called Black Air, formerly part of British Intelligence, has commandeered one of our storage facilities for their own use. The parts we need to build Cerebro are there. Your mission will be to infiltrate and take back our facility, retrieve the parts, and return.”</p><p>“We're going to take back an entire storage facility?” Kitty said. Shaw didn't appreciate her uncertainty.</p><p>“Do you doubt your ability to do so?” he snapped.</p><p>“No...”</p><p>“Good. You shouldn't. You have all excelled in training and you'll receive more intensive, specialized training before you leave. Any guards they might have posted there will be easy enough to dispatch.”</p><p>“Any other questions?” Shaw said, eyeing them all like candy. “Excellent. Meet Ms. Frost and myself in the gym in half an hour. Wear your uniforms. Oh, Nick, a word please before you leave?”</p><p>Kitty waited for him in the hall, on a bench across from a window overlooking the garden. She wondered what they were talking about. Maybe he had a mission of his own, too.</p><p>
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</p><p>Frost shut the door when the rest of the team left. Nick crossed his arms and waited. He seemed older already, the high school boy façade dropping away the minute the door shut.</p><p>“Keep a close eye on her. This mission is vital. It is imperative that we acquire this technology. Black Air agents will be there, but they'll be easily overwhelmed. The facility is poorly guarded because of its remote location. Black Air foolishly relies on its secrecy to keep it protected.”</p><p>“So it's <em>not</em> one of our buildings?” Nick said, a small smirk twitching his lip.</p><p>“Of course not,” Shaw said, returning Nick's widening grin. “You may go now, Nicholas. Tell your <em>girlfriend</em> we were giving you a message from your family.”</p><p>He nodded and opened the door, looking again like the fresh-faced boy he was meant to be.</p><p>Shaw waited for Nick to leave before he spoke again, this time to Ms. Frost. “And her parents?”</p><p>“Taken care of. By the end of the week, we'll be all she has left.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Kitty hopped up when Nick came out, and they walked away from the office hand in hand. Again, the uneasy feeling settled in the back of her mind, the feeling that this was not quite <em>right</em>. Nick seemed excited though, swinging her hand and kissing her cheek.</p><p>“My parents called,” he said. “They're super proud and said they really want to meet you and the team after we come back. I can't believe we're going on a <em>real </em>mission, a really important one. I can't wait to use this power to help people. We're going to do <em>real</em> <em>good</em>, Kitty, just <em>think</em>!”</p><p>Kitty let him talk, her thoughts going back to the odd night with Nightcrawler so long ago, and the questions it brought up that she had abandoned until today.</p><p>The training lasted all afternoon. Each day that week, they had extra sessions after their regularly scheduled workouts. By the end of the week, Kitty's nerves were frayed. She was determined to guide her team through a peaceful mission, avoiding confrontation as much as possible and maybe even reasoning with the Black Air team on the ground. Her teammates seemed less enthusiastic about that approach, though aloud they all claimed to be in agreement with her. Kitty hoped she hadn't made a terrible mistake.</p><p>Ms. Frost met with them in her office once again after their last training that Thursday.</p><p>“You've all done so well with your training, and I am exceedingly proud of you. However, I know some of you are uncertain about the...<em>efficacy</em> of the training, since you've only been working six months. And it's a good point. How can a handful of amateurs possibly take on any group, be it Black Air or the X-Men, with such little formal training?” Frost took a moment to let this sink in as she rose from her chair and came around the front of her desk. “I'm going to help you,” she said.</p><p>“As you know, I am also a mutant, a telepath. And a rather powerful one, if I may say so. With that ability, I will implant in your brains the knowledge you need to fight them and win. Now relax and sit back. This won't hurt.”</p><p>Kitty didn't even have time to protest, if she could have formed the words, before she was bombarded with so much information she blacked out for a full minute. When she opened her eyes, her friends looked as dazed as she felt.</p><p>“What the hell was that?” Gunther said, his hands forming fists at his sides.</p><p>“A side-effect of the transfer of information. My apologies. I did not anticipate that so much information would overwhelm you to such a degree.”</p><p>Nick huffed, but seemed appeased.</p><p>“So do you use that power on us a lot?” Isla asked as she rubbed her temples. She looked suspicious.</p><p>Frost's eyes went wide. “No! Never. I only did so now because it was necessary to keep you as safe as possible.”</p><p>Frost handed out some papers. “Read these,” she said, “I thought it best to provide you with as much information as possible about Black Air. We want you to understand who you're up against. We don't anticipate any surprises, but that's why they're called surprises. I won't have you going in unprepared. Kitty, stay here a moment, I have something to share with you.” The others filed out, and Kitty remained, glancing nervously from Mr. Shaw to Ms. Frost and back.</p><p>“Kitty,” Ms. Frost began, “I'm afraid I have some rather upsetting news for you. I'm so sorry, but your parents have been implicated in an embezzlement scheme. Your father has entered into a plea bargain, and he and your mother have gone into Witness Protection.” She handed Kitty a newspaper article from Chicago. Her father's photo was at the top of the article.</p><p>Kitty sat down hard in a chair. She was shocked, but not as upset as she thought she ought to be. Her father, a banker, had always held late night meetings with unusual groups of investors, but Kitty hadn't paid too much attention to it. She was busy with her own problems. This explained a lot, though.</p><p>“Thank you for telling me,” she said quietly.</p><p>“Are you all right? Do you still want to complete the mission?”</p><p>Kitty nodded, numb. “Yeah. Of course. Why wouldn't I? There isn't anything I can do about them right now. And this is...important.”</p><p>“That's true, dear. Remember, we are all here for you. We'll do whatever we can to support you.” Frost reached across and touched Kitty's hand as she smiled sympathetically. Her hand was chilly.</p><p>
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</p><p>Kitty sat on her bed, reading the papers and wondering how she'd gotten herself into such a mess. All she ever wanted was a diploma and a college education. She wanted to earn a degree and get an amazing tech job and maybe get married some day, and maybe even have some kids. She wasn't sure about that yet, but she figured she had time to decide. She was still only eighteen. There was no rush. Her parents...that was another mess, but that was theirs, not hers. The last few years she'd grown so far apart from them, argued more than talked, been shuttled from school to school for odd reasons, or no reasons. She thought she should be upset, but she wasn't.</p><p>Her head ached from Frost's information overload, but it was more than that. This was exactly what she <em>hadn't</em> wanted. This was exactly what Xavier did to his students. He made them soldiers against their will, and while Frost railed against him for that, she had done the same thing to them just now in her office. She thought about what Nightcrawler had told her, that some of what she knew about Xavier was true, but some was not. And she remembered his warning before they parted ways. But Ms. Frost wasn't like that. She only wanted the best for all of them. Didn't she?</p><p>Kitty forced herself to think about the mutants she was about to save by helping Ms. Frost and the Hellfire Club build their own Cerebro unit. It would mean a victory not only for her small, new team, but for innocent mutants around the world who would be safer—at least for a while—from the schemes of the X-Men and their counterparts. If only she could be as confident as the words in her head made her sound.</p><p>Nick knocked on Kitty's door and came in, taking a seat beside her on the bed.</p><p>“What's up, Kitty? You look nervous.” He stroked the back of her neck and kissed her cheek.</p><p>“I'm not. I was studying this information. Did you read up?” She leaned against him.</p><p>“Yeah, of course. Not that I think we'll run into anyone. Not with you leading us.”</p><p>She blushed. “Nick...You know I can't control that.”</p><p>“No, but even if something crazy happens, you can totally handle this. Right?”</p><p>“Yeah,” she nodded and looked back at the paperwork. “Right.”</p><p>Nick lifted the sheet from her lap. It was the page on Brian Braddock. “Why're you studying this?”</p><p>“I was looking over some older stuff. It settles me. And I like to know all my opponents, but I've mostly focused on the X-Men. I haven't done much research on British teams, but that's where we'll be. If we run into problems, it's more likely to be them than the X-Men.”</p><p>“This is why you're a great leader.” Nick's eyes scanned the page. “This guy, Captain Britain, I've heard of him. Flies off the handle all day long.”</p><p>“I saw.”</p><p>He turned the page. “Damn, they got a telepath, too.”</p><p>“She's also telekinetic, and uses the Phoenix force. Nick, there are mutants out there...so powerful, I don't know how we'd ever beat them if they confronted us.”</p><p>“Don't worry, Kitty. We're not dealing with any super teams. Just these assholes from Black Air, and they're just human. We get Isla to distract them, take 'em all out, and boom, we got the station back for Hellfire.”</p><p>Kitty smiled instead of agreeing. “Psych Out.”</p><p>He chuckled. “I wonder if she'll change her code name later. Some people go through a bunch before they find the right one.”</p><p>“Gunther's a heavy hitter, and with all of us working together, we'll be fine.” He slid his hand under her jaw, tipping it towards him. “And with you as our leader, how can we go wrong?”</p><p>Kitty smiled again, but she wasn't nearly as confident as Nick. She let Nick's hands lull her into distraction, as she closed her eyes and leaned into his kiss.</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Alone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The majority of changes begin in this chapter</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kitty was still nervous and uncertain when they boarded the plane for the flight to the Black Air facility in North Yorkshire, England. She was also determined. She wasn't a baby anymore, nor was she entirely inexperienced. She trusted her friends to have her back if things went wrong. She imagined walking into that facility, facing down the Black Air guards and convincing them to lay down their weapons. She imagined corralling them all outside, watching them being offered the chance to work for a better organization and taking it. She imagined returning to Ms. Frost and Mr. Shaw with the equipment needed and being proud of her team.</p><p>Maybe she'd give the team a name. Maybe they could choose it together. Then, when they stood up to the evil of the world, she would be able to say who had stopped them, who was standing up for right and they would remember. It would be something simple, but powerful. Not pretentious. Not like Excalibur. What were they even thinking, naming their team after something as iconic as King Arthur's legendary sword? Kitty imagined someday meeting Excalibur and talking them down from a fight. She imagined looking Rogue in the face and sending her away disappointed, knowing Kitty's team had bested her.</p><p>Nick's hand on her arm startled her from her daydream. “You okay?”</p><p>“Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking.” She smiled and kissed his cheek.</p><p>He leaned closer. “About what?”</p><p>Kitty giggled as his hand moved over her thigh. “Not about <em>that</em>, I assure you.”</p><p>“Too bad. We could join the mile-high club.”</p><p>“Oh my god, Nick, no way! We're on a mission. This is a <em>business</em> <em>trip</em>.”</p><p>“Maybe on the way home?”</p><p>“Maybe.” She gave him a wicked grin. “You could kiss me though.”</p><p>He brought his lips to hers, needy as her hand climbed his neck. She was almost sorry she'd turned down his invitation to have sex on the plane. His thumb grazed the side of her breast and she sighed into his mouth. He broke the kiss, looking immensely satisfied with himself.</p><p>Kitty leaned against his shoulder and let her thoughts drift again. She was glad Nick was with her. He began going over the papers again, trying to memorize every detail.</p><p>“This Black Air group, they're a real bunch of dicks,” he said. “Look at this, messing around in Genosha. They even sent Excalibur there to distribute anti-mutant ammunition to the fighters.”</p><p>“Why would Excalibur do that?”</p><p>“They didn't know they were. Black Air lied to them.” Nick leaned back. “Of course, when they found out about it, it's not like they went back to do anything about it.”</p><p>Kitty shook her head. She didn't want to think about Excalibur. It always brought her around to Nightcrawler, and his warnings the last time she saw him. “Excalibur is small time, Nick,” she said, hoping to distract him. “It's the X-Men we need to worry about. And today, Black Air.”</p><p>“I don't know, Kitty. What if we run into them someday? Take this guy, Captain Britain. He's a real ass,” Nick said, and Kitty sat up. He was looking over the strengths and weaknesses sheet. “Alcoholic, violent temper, abusive...even says he once broke his teammate's leg in a jealous rage.”</p><p>“Yeah, I read that, too,” Kitty said. It was Nightcrawler's leg he'd broken, thinking he was hitting on Captain Britain's girlfriend Meggan. It bothered her more than it should have. “I guess they made up.”</p><p>Nick laughed. “Yeah, I guess. Can you imagine? These guys are no better than the X-Men. How do you trust a guy who breaks your damn femur?”</p><p>Kitty shook her head. “I don't know.”</p><p>Nick couldn't let it rest. “Like damn, the guy flirts with his girlfriend and his first reaction is to beat the shit out of him?”</p><p>Kitty nodded along, no longer listening fully as Nick continued to rail against the captain. Finally Kitty said, “What about Meggan? She stays with him.”</p><p>And Nick was off, just as incredulous that she would stay with the man as he was that teammates would beat one another up. Kitty squeezed Nick's hand. “At least we don't have to worry about that, right?”</p><p>Nick smiled and kissed her. “We sure don't.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Their first stop was the London Hellfire Club to acquire additional supplies and intel. Some of the Royalty met them there, the Black King and Queen. They handed out empty bags to put the component parts in, as well as some tech they'd need to infiltrate and then locate those parts once inside the building.</p><p>“I'm Quentin Templeton, Black King, and this is my Queen, Emma Steed. We'll be providing you with some weapons and a map to help you find the items you're after.”</p><p>“We have tech to override the keypad on the main door,” Isla said, holding up the device. Ms. Steed looked pleased and Mr. Templeton lit a cigarette. He looked bored.</p><p>“Once you're inside, you'll need to override their security system,” said Ms. Steed. “You'll use this at one of the computer interfaces. Then you can access their system and find everything you need.” She picked up a packet of papers and handed them out. “This is a map of the facility. Try to memorize as much of it as you can in case you lose your way or are pursued. You don't want to waste time reading a map.”</p><p>Kitty looked over everything, glancing up when a man entered. Her heart slammed against her chest as she recognized him. He was Brian Braddock, Captain Britain himself! What was he doing here? Kitty wondered if the rest of Excalibur was here, too. She elbowed Nick, who nodded.</p><p>“Guns,” said the Black King. “In case the guards give you any trouble.”</p><p>“Non-lethal rounds, right?” Kitty asked.</p><p>The Black King and Queen exchanged a brief look.</p><p>“Of course. We don't want anyone to get hurt, especially any of you.” Emma Steed smiled at Kitty's team, before finally acknowledging Braddock. Kitty had been watching him from the corner of her eye, but he hadn't moved once he took his place inside the doorway, nor had he said a single word. He was sipping something clear and Kitty guessed it was alcohol.</p><p>“Do you need something, Bishop?” Ms. Steed said, turning his way at last.</p><p>Brian Braddock was a <em>Royal</em> member of the Hellfire Club? Kitty tried to keep her surprise to herself.</p><p>“No, my Queen. I only came to see who your visitors were.” He looked directly at Kitty.</p><p>“This is the team from Massachusetts. They're going to help us <em>reacquire</em> some of our assets, taken by Black Air.”</p><p>“Ah. Good luck to you all,” he said, smiling. Kitty wanted to run. That man could kill her with one blow, or any of her teammates except perhaps Gunther.</p><p>When the team was properly outfitted with supplies, the three Hellfire Royalty followed them to the door and watched them leave.</p><p>
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</p><p>“I think that's where they're heading,” Brian said into the phone.</p><p>“<em>Verdammt</em>,” Nightcrawler cursed. “And they have lethal rounds?”</p><p>“Yes, but Steed told them they weren't.”</p><p>“Any idea what they're after?”</p><p>“No, they didn't say. Be careful.”</p><p>“We will. You as well.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Kitty's team arrived at the Black Air Acquisitions Station a few minutes later. The helicopter set down in an open space outside the main doors, and Gunther jumped out first. No guards came rushing at them and the entire place seemed almost deserted. The rest of the team followed, discovering around the corner a scene of destruction. Half the wall was busted in, and they wouldn't need the keypad reader at all.</p><p>“What happened here?” Kristen asked as they picked their way around broken cinderblocks and rubble. “Who did this?”</p><p>“Maybe they were attacked,” Isla said.</p><p>“Quiet until we know what we're dealing with,” Kitty whispered. “Gunther, check the doorway.”</p><p>“Clear.”</p><p>Kitty followed Gunther inside, where the floor was so littered with debris they couldn't see it, and half the lights were out. There were open doors all around them, and Kitty turned left, following what she remembered from the map. The room was large, with computer monitors along one wall and an observation window at one end. More doors led to darkened hallways. The guards lay unconscious in a pile. And Excalibur's team leader was standing over them with a sword resting on his shoulder.</p><p>He barely even looked up when her team walked in. They stopped at Kitty's upheld hand. Braddock must have called them and they'd come here to stop them from getting their own property back. Kitty seethed.</p><p>“What are you <em>doing</em> here?” she demanded.</p><p>“I should ask you the same, Ms. <em>Parker</em>.”</p><p>“This isn't your property.”</p><p>“Nor is it yours.” He looked up then, and stepped over one of the prone guards. “Perhaps you are here for the same thing we are.”</p><p>The pleasant smile was absent from his face, and Kitty actually stepped back. He was no longer the hobbling, injured man she'd met, no longer the artificial friend, smiling and dancing with her in a courtyard. She remembered what she knew of him, considered the pile of guards at his feet, and wondered if her team could stand up to his after all.</p><p>“I doubt it.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stuck out her chin defiantly. Gunther and Kristen flanked her. She could hear Nick and Isla behind her making soft clicking sounds.</p><p>Kitty's eyes flicked from the guards to the door as more of his team came in. There was a redhead, but she couldn't be Phoenix. She was far too young and she was a wolf-woman. Rogue followed, and a blond that Kitty guessed must be Brian Braddock's girlfriend, Meggan.</p><p>“Captain Britain told you were were coming didn't he? And now you think you're going to stop us.”</p><p>“Yes and no,” he said, sword dangling from one thick finger, as if he had already determined her team was no threat to him at all.</p><p>Kitty was infuriated. She took a bold step forward. “Get out of our way.”</p><p>He gave her a cold smile. “Tell us where Douglock is.”</p><p>She had no idea what a douglock was or where to find one. She bluffed. “No.”</p><p>“A shame. I had so hoped we could work together.”</p><p>“Nightcrawler, I don't think he's here,” the wolf-woman said.</p><p>Kitty gestured to her team to fan out hoping she could simply bypass Excalibur entirely and get what they'd come for without a fight. She really did not want to fight them. Excalibur stepped in front of them, blocking their way into the building.</p><p>“Tell your team to leave,” Kitty said, and her team moved closer, preparing to engage.</p><p>“We were on our way out, but I have to admit, your appearance here makes me suspicious. We came for Douglock and we will not be satisfied until we find him.” He stepped closer, his voice turning soft as it had before, the voice of a friend. “Do you know where Douglock is, Kätzchen?”</p><p>“Don't call me that.”</p><p>He sighed, a deep and heavy sound. “I've been as patient as I'm in the mood to be, Ms. Parker. You seem disinclined to cooperate.” He raised his sword and pointed it at her. “Where is Douglock?”</p><p>Kitty's team attacked. Suddenly, there was noise and dust flying and Nightcrawler was no longer in front of her. She spun, taking in the fight erupting around her. Why had he brandished his sword? They could still stop this. Kitty ran for her teammates, one after the other, ordering them to stop. They refused.</p><p>The redheaded wolf-woman lunged for Kitty, and as she did, Nick stepped up and blasted her with his weapon. When her shoulder bloomed red, Kitty realized they'd been given standard ammunition and now people were going to die. The redhead was down, her head cracking hard against the floor when she fell. Kitty ran, hands out in a desperate bid to stop her team's attack. They were beyond listening. Behind her, Gunther ran towards Rogue, who seemed more than ready to take him on.</p><p>Nick was closest and Kitty grabbed his arm. “Nick, what are you doing? Stop this!”</p><p>“No, <em>Ghost</em>,” he said, emphasizing her code name, “We came to do a job, and they're in our way. We have to stop them.” He looked so angry, and Kitty had never seen that look on his face before. She let go of his arm and whirled around, hoping to talk sense to one of her other teammates.</p><p>Kitty found herself standing in the middle of the fight as if she were invisible. Meggan leaped at Isla, who easily confused her, causing Meggan to fall heavily to the ground. Rogue was pounding Gunther and beating him easily. She saw him reaching for one of the Hellfire guns.</p><p>Meggan got to her feet again, and Kitty felt the ground trembling until Isla aimed at her and fired. Fortunately the shot went wide, but it had served its purpose and whatever Meggan had been doing stopped. Kitty threw herself at Isla, begging her to stop.</p><p>“We aren't here to kill people!” Kitty shouted, but no one was listening.</p><p>She phased and ran through the chaos, towards Kristen, who was in a hand-to-hand fight with Nightcrawler. He was winning easily, in spite of her light attack.</p><p>“Kristen, back off!” Kitty yelled, pulling at Kristen's arm, desperate to make them all stop fighting. “Nightcrawler, tell your team to stop! <em>Please</em>!”</p><p>Nightcrawler halted his attack and lowered his swords. Kristen grinned at Kitty, as if this was part of a plan, and smashed her fist into Nightcrawler's face with a sickening crack. Kitty shrieked as blood spurted from his nose and he fell back. He grabbed Kristen's leg with his tail and pulled her down with him. They grappled in the debris until Nightcrawler flipped her over his head towards the main door. Kristen managed to land and roll, then came back at a run, arcs of light flying from her. Nick pointed his gun at Nightcrawler's back. Kitty didn't think, she just leaped, shoving Nick to the ground as he fired. Nick screamed at her in anger as the shot missed, trying to push her aside. She clung to his uniform, fingers digging in hard.</p><p>“Goddammit, what the fuck are you doing?” he yelled at her. His eyes blazed with anger and hate.</p><p>“Stop fighting! Stop!” she yelled back, still holding him. Kristen had regained her feet, leaping at Nightcrawler again. Nick shoved Kitty away from him as her teammates continued to fight.</p><p>“What are you <em>doing</em>? Whose side are you even on?” Kristen screamed.</p><p>“We don't have to do this!” she cried, trying to appeal to them, but Kristen dropped her to the floor again.</p><p>“What's <em>wrong</em> with you, Kitty? We came here to stop them, and you're taking <em>their side</em>!” Nick screamed in her face as Kitty got to her feet. The redhead had regained consciousness, and now, in spite of her wound, leaped at Kitty, teeth bared and claws extended.</p><p>Kitty phased again, dodging the blows from the wolf-woman, who melted back to her human state. She was younger than Kitty, and furious. She got as close to Kitty's face as she could. “I mean to get Dougie back whether you try to stop us or not. I <em>won't stop</em>, not til we find him!”</p><p>Nick aimed at Rogue, but with Gunther brawling, he didn't have a clear shot. Nightcrawler leaped over his head and dropped onto Nick, scrabbling for his gun. Nick fired again, and again, then pulled out a second weapon, and Kitty knew if she didn't do something to stop all the fighting, someone was going to die.</p><p>She ran towards Isla. “Isla, Psych Out, we have to end this or people are going to <em>die</em>.”</p><p>“Well maybe you should <em>help</em> then! Why the hell did Frost think you could be team leader anyway?”</p><p>Kitty had reached her limit. She punched Isla in the jaw, knocking her dizzy. Isla stumbled and fell, and when Kristen turned to see what Kitty had done, the wolf-woman leaped onto Isla's back and pinned her on the floor, claws at her throat. Kristen lunged at Kitty, who flipped her over her shoulder. Kristen went down hard, grunting as the wind was knocked out of her. Gunther came at Kitty, too, aiming a punch at her gut. Kitty phased and instead, he fell past her, into Rogue's fist. He wasn't out, but he was stunned. Nick turned his fury on Kitty, managing to grab her by both arms and stop her.</p><p>Around them, the fighting had finally stopped. Nick hated her, the whole team hated her, but the fighting had stopped and no one was dead. Nightcrawler's team was picking themselves up, dusting off, and standing ready. But they weren't fighting and the look on his face was a mix of confusion and anger.</p><p>“Why didn't you listen to me?” she demanded of Nick, ignoring the others. “<em>None</em> of you listened.”</p><p>Nick glared at her, hatred in his eyes now instead of love. “We came to do a job, and they got in our way. They're Xavier's pets, Ghost, we don't let them push us around. Look what you've done!”</p><p>Around them, her teammates lay dazed and bruised, while Excalibur stood over them, the clear winners of the fight.</p><p>“You're a <em>traitor</em>, Ghost. Frost and Shaw are gonna know about this and they're going to deal with you.” Kitty didn't move while he spoke.</p><p>“You're wrong, Nick. You're the ones who didn't listen. You're the ones who are going to be in trouble.”</p><p>Nick let his arms fall to his sides, a sly grin filling up his face. Kitty didn't like it, the way his eyes glittered with anger and his mouth was cold and hard. “No. We aren't,” he said, and before she could move, he'd slipped an inhibitor collar around her neck.</p><p>Excalibur surrounded them. Kitty held Nick's gaze and said, “You're assuming you get to go home at all, <em>Nick</em>. We lost, remember?”</p><p>Once again the wolf-woman spoke to Nightcrawler. “Dougie's not here, Kurt. But I found some files on their computer. It's already uploaded.”</p><p>“<em>Danke</em>, Wolfsbane.” He stepped over the guards and picked up an intercom. “Attention. This is Nightcrawler for Excalibur. You have five minutes to evacuate this building. We will not be responsible for anyone you leave behind.” Then he turned to Wolfsbane and his team. “Get to the jet. We're going to burn this place to the ground.” Nightcrawler left with his team, leaving Kitty's to deal with her.</p><p>Nick nearly roared, he was so angry. He backed Kitty up a few paces, growling at her.</p><p>“I thought you were on <em>our</em> side. I thought you were <em>special</em>. But you aren't. You're one of them. We have no use for someone like you.” Then he shoved her so hard she went sprawling, landing in a pile of debris. Through a door, Black Air employees came running, grabbing at their comrades and dragging them out of the building.</p><p>Nick and her team walked out without a single glance back.</p><p>Kitty's entire future withered. No team. No graduation. Not even a shot at college. Nothing. The news about her parents hit home suddenly, as Kitty realized she had literally nowhere to go.</p><p>Nick and the team left, and Kitty realized the building was eerily quiet. She got clumsily to her feet, the collar keeping her from phasing easily through the rubble. Her ankle hurt, probably twisted, and she could feel bruises coming up all over.</p><p>The ground beneath her feet began to tremble and she remembered what Nightcrawler had said. Five minutes. How long had it been? Bits of ceiling and plaster from the walls began to crack and crumble, and Kitty frantically picked her way through the debris on the floor, terrified now and scrambling for the door.</p><p>She made it outside, the ground shaking even more, making it nearly impossible to run. But she had to. The helicopter was gone, and if she stayed near the building she'd be hurt or even killed. She tried again to run, and just as she got her feet under her, she slammed into Nightcrawler's chest. Again.</p><p>“You can't stay here,” he said, and in the space of a blink, she was coughing and choking on thick smoke, on her knees in some kind of plane.</p><p>Nightcrawler crouched beside her, his grin showing his teeth. He tapped the collar with his tail. “Trouble in paradise?”</p><p>“It isn't funny,” she said, and stood up, looking for escape. There was none.</p><p>“It would seem your team abandoned you,” he said. Terrible rumbling drowned out his words, and Kitty covered her ears.</p><p>Kurt stood next to Meggan and looked out the front window of the plane. “What would we do without you, Meggan?”</p><p>“Spend a lot of money on bulldozers,” she said. Nightcrawler laughed and patted her back.</p><p>“Take a seat, Kätzchen, we're about to head out.”</p><p>His use of the name he had called her a year ago was more upsetting than the collar or her defeat, and she didn't know why. She couldn't respond for long seconds as she watched little drops of red splashing on the dimpled metal flooring. Too slowly her brain recognized that it was blood. That it was coming from Nightcrawler, but not his nose.</p><p>“You're bleeding,” she said stupidly.</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, I was <em>shot</em>.” He maneuvered her into a seat and buckled her in as if she were a child.</p><p>“I can do that,” she said, but truthfully, she'd never sat in a plane like this before, and the buckle, when she examined it, was not one she'd seen before.</p><p>From the front of the plane, Rogue said, “Why'd you bring her here? You're inviting trouble.”</p><p>“She's abandoned and powerless. And now, perhaps we can find out why Frost sent people to a Black Air facility at the same time we were there.”</p><p>Kitty leaned her head on the cold metal wall of the plane, feeling the slight vibration as it sailed smoothly through the air. There was almost no turbulence at all.</p><p>“We didn't know you were there,” Kitty said.</p><p>“I find it too much of a coincidence for that to be true,” he replied.</p><p>“It is true. We were just there to—” she frowned. “It was <em>your</em> guy who told you we were coming. Blame him.”</p><p>“We were already there,” Rogue snapped.</p><p>“You can drop me off at the Hellfire Club in London,” she said quietly.</p><p>“And why would I do that?”</p><p>Kitty sighed and leaned her head against the wall. It didn't matter what she said, he'd do what he wanted with her. She was his prisoner now. How he must be gloating inside, how pleased he must be to finally have their 'little troublemaker' back in custody. In a collar, no less. Her eyes stung and she squeezed them tight.</p><p>“I wouldn't leave a dead rat with the Hellfire Club,” Nightcrawler said as he leaned over Rogue's shoulder.</p><p>“They would have taken care of me and you wouldn't have to.”</p><p>“You're not a bother,” he said, “And you may have information we can use.”</p><p>“I doubt it,” she said. “We were just there to retrieve stolen property.”</p><p>“Retrieve property, my ass,” Rogue barked.</p><p>Kitty fumed, tired of being called a liar. “We <em>were</em>! Black Air stole—”</p><p>“They stole from us, too, Ms. Parker, something far more valuable than property. They took Douglock.” Nightcrawler left the front of the plane and stood in front of her, the motion of the jet not even making him sway. “And if you know <em>anything</em>, I would appreciate if you would tell me. We just want Douglock back.”</p><p>“I don't even know what a douglock is and I certainly don't know where to find one.”</p><p>Rogue snorted and Wolfsbane growled.</p><p>“Not <em>what</em>,” said the wolf-woman. “<em>Who</em>. He's our teammate and friend.”</p><p>“I don't know anything about any Douglock. That's not what we were there for.” Nightcrawler made a humming sound as he thought. “Please take me back to the Hellfire Club. They'll find a place for me.”</p><p>All of them except Nightcrawler began laughing, or failing to suppress laughter. Kitty's cheeks heated, anger rising at their laughter and because she didn't understand.</p><p>“You're hilarious, kid,” Rogue said.</p><p>Nightcrawler put his hands on his hips and shifted his weight. Kitty looked at the bullet wound, still leaking down his leg. “I don't know who told you that, <em>fraulein</em>, but the Hellfire Club is not one iota interested in helping you once you've betrayed them.”</p><p>Kitty shook her head. “But...but they fund the school.”</p><p>“Ah, yes, the infamous Massachusetts Academy.” His tone was mocking. “Run by one <em>Emma Frost</em>, White Queen of the Hellfire Club. We know. The school is the pipeline through which they launder their money, among other things.” He watched shock and anger pass over her face in waves.</p><p>She didn't say anything else as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. “That's not true,” she whispered.</p><p>Nightcrawler leaned down into her face. “You cannot go there. Even if I were inclined to let you go, I would not take you there. You'll be in our custody, but you won't be harmed. I doubt you'd get the same promise from the Hellfire Club,” he said. “We're heading back to the island to figure out a lot of things. You are simply next on the list.”</p><p>Kitty was suddenly terrified at the prospect of living in one of Moira MacTaggert's cells. “I'm not a criminal. I didn't fight you. I was only doing my job.”</p><p>Rogue had grown tired of Nightcrawler's seemingly infinite patience. She cursed from the cockpit. “Dammit, Sugah, Ah don't know what they taught you at that godforsaken school, but if Nightcrawler says you're coming with us, then you are.”</p><p>“Nothing worse than your stupid professor told you!” Kitty countered. Rogue had chased her, scared her, and now acted as if she was superior. Kitty was sick of her.</p><p>Rogue's mouth turned down in an angry frown, and her fist raised slightly. “Don't you dare—”</p><p>Meggan reached toward Rogue, stopping just short of touching her. “Rogue, let Kurt handle this.”</p><p>Rogue lowered her hand and pursed her lips. “He better shut her up,” she said and resumed flying.</p><p>“We can't trust you right now,” Nightcrawler said, suppressing his irritation. “Surely you understand that?”</p><p>“All the more reason you should leave me there.”</p><p>He stepped closer so she had to tilt her head up to see him. He filled her vision, except for the corner, where Wolfsbane glared at her from across the aisle of the plane. “I told you, I will not do that. You've no idea what they would do to you, but I guarantee it would make our empty cells look like a four-star hotel.”</p><p>It was pointless to argue, she knew, when she was already strapped into their jet, heading towards the small Scottish island where she'd met him just over a year ago. She was wearing one of her own team's inhibitor collars and she didn't know how to undo the straps of the jet. She stopped talking and leaned against the wall again. They spoke to her a few more times, but she stopped answering them, and eventually they left her alone.</p><p>Nightcrawler sat down and wrapped a gauze strip around his leg, immediately staining it red. Kitty imagined the thoughts of her teammates, and his, all of them full of blame and judgment. She was confused and scared and sad, not knowing who or what to believe anymore. She'd never felt so alone.</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Back to Scotland</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a short flight to Muir Island where Nightcrawler sent his team to eat and rest. “Meet in the living room in an hour and we'll discuss our next step.” To Kitty, he said, “You and I will sit and talk first.”</p><p>He took her to the kitchen, where he fell into a chair and pushed a bowl of fruit across to her. “Why were you at the Black Air Acquisition Station today?” he said, propping his injured leg up on a vacant chair. Pain flickered in his eyes, but he was very good at hiding it. She considered keeping up the silent act, but then she looked at his wound, and the dark stain that had soaked the gauze.</p><p>“Should you see a doctor?”</p><p>“I'm all right. I'll see Moira soon enough.” He repeated his question.</p><p>“We were doing a job. I already told you.”</p><p>“Mm-hm. We were looking for Douglock and had reason to believe he might have been there. You say you had nothing to do with that?”</p><p>“I <em>told</em> you. They wanted us to do a job. You showed up out of nowhere. You weren't supposed to be there.” She shouldn't tell him anything, but everything had fallen apart. She was sure she was being lied to, and she didn't think Ms. Frost would want her back. That meant she wasn't part of any team, and she'd have to do whatever she could to keep herself safe.</p><p>Nightcrawler regarded her a long time. “What was this job?”</p><p>Kitty waffled between telling him and keeping quiet. She <em>should</em> be silent, or lie, or...But why? Nick and the team had left her there. They had left her there to die, and they would have blamed it on Nightcrawler and his team.</p><p>Her voice cracked when she spoke. She didn't answer his question. “I wanted them to stop fighting and my team left me behind. Because I didn't want to fight, they left me there. They wanted me to die.” She stared somewhere in the distance. Nightcrawler said nothing. She raised her voice a little, demanding an answer she already knew, but needed to hear. “They wanted me to die, didn't they? They'd kill me right now if you took me to them. Right?”</p><p>He didn't say anything, but he looked sad.</p><p>“Am I right?”</p><p>“It's likely,” he said at last.</p><p>The first time she met him, he'd been honest with her. Everything he said had been true. She'd looked it up, as much as she could. And in her heart, she knew he wasn't lying now. She swallowed around the lump in her throat. She would tell him everything.</p><p>“We...they sent us to get parts to build their own Cerebro. They said it would be easy. Not many guards. Easy to take them down.”</p><p>He nodded. “I see. I can only imagine what they want with a Cerebro.”</p><p>“They wanted to take Xavier's but they couldn't. Ms. Frost wanted me to break in, after I came here.”</p><p>His eyebrow raised.</p><p>“I told her no.”</p><p>“Why is that?” He put his leg down, hiding another wince of pain.</p><p>“I told her I thought I wasn't very good at missions.” She paused. “But the truth was...I just couldn't do it. It didn't seem right.”</p><p>“But stealing from Black Air to build one of their own was acceptable?”</p><p>“We weren't stealing. All that stuff belongs to the Hellfire Club and—what?”</p><p>He was shaking his head. “No, I'm afraid it is not. It's true, Black Air stole most of it, but that facility belongs to Black Air. And they are working with the Hellfire Club directly right now. In fact, Hellfire may be funding them.”</p><p>It was too much and she didn't know enough about either group to understand the reasons or implications of any of it.</p><p>“Did Frost tell you why she wants a Cerebro?”</p><p>“She wants to help mutants. To save them from Xavier.”</p><p>“To <em>save</em> them,” he repeated.</p><p>“Yeah. They told us Xavier uses it to recruit innocent mutants to his army. He infects them with the Legacy Virus.”</p><p>“<em>Mein Gott</em>, that is what they told you? And you believed them?” He ran a hand over his face. “All the students at your school, they believe this?”</p><p>She picked at her fingers and nodded stiffly. She hated feeling stupid and foolish more than anything, and right now, she was full to the brim with feeling both. She pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes.</p><p>She heard him laugh in disbelief, then sigh. “I promise you, we don't do that, Ms. Parker. Moira has been working almost non-stop to find a cure for this virus. We don't want to spread it to other mutants.”</p><p>“But Xavier invented it.”</p><p>Nightcrawler's eyes went wide. “<em>Was</em>?”</p><p>“He invented it and killed his own students to make everyone believe it came from the other guy. Stryfe.”</p><p>“<em>Ich lach mich kaputt</em> <em><a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote1sym" id="sdfootnote1anc" name="sdfootnote1anc"><sup>1</sup></a></em>...” He ran his hands through his hair before continuing his questions. “So you went to the Black Air station to steal parts to build a Cerebro for the Hellfire Club, ran into us and failed. And your team left you behind, you say, <em>intentionally</em>?”</p><p>“Isn't it obvious?”</p><p>“I'd like you to tell me, if you don't mind.”</p><p>She sighed. She didn't want to talk about it or think about it, but she had to face the truth at some point. She straightened her shoulders and leveled her eyes at him. “They didn't appreciate me putting a stop to the fight, especially by turning on them. I was supposed to be the team leader, but they didn't listen to me. As soon as I took steps to force the fight to end, they turned on me. They put an inhibitor collar on me and left me behind, after you said you were going to blow the place up. They knew it would kill me. I'm pretty sure they wanted to blame you for my death.” She let out a breath. “Is that everything you wanted to know?”</p><p>Nightcrawler looked away and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. When he turned back to her, he seemed eager to lighten the mood.</p><p>“Oh, Ms. Parker, what a mess you've been part of, but I think perhaps there is hope for you yet.”</p><p>She ignored the insult. “That's not my real name. It's Kitty Pryde.”</p><p>“I was waiting for you to tell me that.”</p><p>“You knew?”</p><p>“Mm, <em>ja</em>,” he said, absently rubbing his injured leg. “I figured out who you were working for last time you visited, and from there I recalled that our professor tried to recruit a Katherine Pryde, who declined, and enrolled at the Massachusetts Academy.”</p><p>Kitty let that sink in. “Wouldn't Ms. Frost have known that, too?”</p><p>“Of course. I'm so sorry you've been put through this, <em>liebling</em>. Why don't you start at the beginning?”</p><p>Kitty made up her mind to stop worrying about telling him things. Obviously she wasn't part of Frost's team anymore, and she didn't want to be. What were her options then? “Yeah. Okay.”</p><p>She told him about her powers manifesting, her parents moving her from school to school and how she wound up at the Massachusetts Academy. She told him about her mission posing as a college student from their previous meeting, and finished up with the most recent encounter and Frost's plan to have Kitty help her build their version of Cerebro.</p><p>He didn't interrupt or stop her, though he did bring her a glass of water. When she was finished, he let out a long breath.</p><p>“<em>Mein Gott</em> you have been fed so many lies, I hardly know which one to begin with.”</p><p>“How do I know <em>you're</em> not lying?”</p><p>“I can prove nearly everything I've told you. But I think...” he rubbed his chin as he regarded her, “I think you probably already know the truth.”</p><p>“I don't know anything right now.” She folded her arms on the table and put her head down. She was so confused and scared and sad. Her friends had turned on her without a thought. Nick had left her to die. Had <em>hoped</em> she would die.</p><p>Nightcrawler continued. “First of all, you can look up information about Xavier's school online. Most of it is public domain at this point, especially since the team was discovered alive.”</p><p>She lifted her head to interrupt him. “I never see any news about the X-Men, and I watch every night. The only piece I saw was the WNN report on their discovery in Australia that Ms. Frost showed me in her office.”</p><p>He gave her a quizzical look. “It's been nothing but X-Men headlines for months.”</p><p>“No, it...it <em>hasn't</em>...”</p><p>He leaned back and flipped on a small television. “Go ahead and find a channel. Whatever you want. Then wait. You'll see soon enough.”</p><p>They left it on in the background, and he continued, rubbing his chin again.</p><p>“The Hellfire Club is a bit trickier because most of their information is secret. They have their hands in so many illegal schemes, I doubt even <em>they</em> can keep track. And if you look online, you won't find much. But I can ask you this—what philanthropic organization conspires with a group like Black Air? They are covert even among British Intelligence groups.”</p><p>One by one, Nightcrawler picked apart everything she'd believed. Kitty listened as he told her, as gently as he could, that nearly everything she'd known for the past two and a half years was false, orchestrated to manipulate her for some unknown purpose of the White Queen and her Hellfire Club.</p><p>Kitty was overwhelmed, and focused on a detail she could handle. “We met the Black King and Queen in London. What does that mean, though? It's some game they play?”</p><p>“No, it's no game. The Club operates like so, with both a Black and White king and queen running the club from behind closed doors. They are like the president of an organization, only their power is absolute. There are others, such as Bishops and scribes, all separated into Black and White. Although in London, they have gone from white to red, for some reason. Brian, that is, Captain Britain, he has gone there to investigate some unusual activity, even for the Club.”</p><p>“I saw him. He told you we were coming.”</p><p>“He did, and that you would have live ammunition.”</p><p>“They told us it was non-lethal.”</p><p>He hoisted his leg onto the table, a move that took strength and flexibility. She sat back. “You tell me.”</p><p>She rubbed at her eyes, her head swimming. “Okay...So who's Sebastian Shaw?”</p><p>Nightcrawler's voice was carefully steady. “How do you know him?”</p><p>“He came to the school to tell us about this mission. It was his mission, I think.”</p><p>“He is the Black King of the New York branch and a very dangerous man. He's a mutant, and extremely powerful. Each blow dealt him makes him stronger.”</p><p>Behind Nightcrawler, the evening news came on at last, with the lead story about chaos in London. The city was experiencing a wave of crimes and assaults the likes of which they had never seen. The following story highlighted climate change and deforestation, and following <em>that</em> was a short piece about a wedding.</p><p>The newscaster said, “And now for something uplifting. Two of Charles Xavier's most famous students were married today in a private ceremony at his estate in Westchester, New York...” Kitty was riveted.</p><p>“If only we had been able to attend,” Nightcrawler said wistfully. “But duty called here, and we cannot forsake our missing teammate.”</p><p>Kitty's hands began to tremble as the weight of a new reality descended on her. Lies upon lies, and now she could prove it. All those nagging feelings that something wasn't quite right, that sense she had ignored over and over, had been telling her something all along.</p><p>Her head spun, she didn't know where to turn, and images swam in her vision. She pushed back from the table. “I need—I need to go, I need to get up or something...” she stood and almost immediately her knees collapsed. She would have hit her head, but Nightcrawler had wicked fast reflexes, and he caught her.</p><p>When she opened her eyes, she was halfway under the kitchen table with her head on Nightcrawler's good leg. She blinked and started to sit up. A gentle hand pressed against her shoulder. “Easy, Kätzchen, you fainted. Give yourself a moment.”</p><p>She covered her face with her hands. “Oh my god, my whole life is over,” she said. “Literally <em>over</em>. All because of her...no, because of <em>me</em>...oh god, what am I gonna do?”</p><p>Thick fingers stroked her shoulder where his hand rested. “Your life is not over. It is only changing course unexpectedly. What will you do? I don't know, but there are plenty of options for you. Perhaps you will go home to, where was it? Chicago? See your family, take some time off...”</p><p>“I don't have family there.”</p><p>“Ah. That was part of the story, then?”</p><p>“No, I used to, but my parents are in Witness Protection. My dad's a criminal. Or...at least...you know what, I don't even know if <em>that's</em> true. Ms. Frost told me he was part of an embezzlement scheme and copped a plea.” She sat up, groping at the table leg and Nightcrawler's shoulder indiscriminately. She suddenly, desperately wanted to talk to her parents. “I have to call them. I have to call them right now.”</p><p>He helped her up, insuring she didn't bump her head on the table, and handed her a phone. “Go ahead, we have an International calling plan.” His grin softened when he said, “Kätzchen, if you reach them, and you wish to go home, I will take you there.”</p><p>She didn't know what to say to that but it made her throat feel strangely tight. She dialed the house and both of their cell phones and got the same message. Three familiar tones assaulted her ears, followed by the same robotic message indicating the number was no longer in service. She thought she might pass out again as she sank into the wooden chair. Nightcrawler's hand was warm on her back.</p><p>“You do not look well. Drink some water.”</p><p>She took it, drinking mechanically. The rest of his team began to assemble in the living room, just outside the kitchen. She could hear their casual banter, sometimes laughter, and for a moment she was filled with anger and jealousy that she was alone and they were not. Nightcrawler crouched in front of her chair and she noticed the fresh blood seeping through his bandage again. He held up a finger and told her to follow it with her eyes, and she did. He stood and patted her head.</p><p>“You're going to be all right, <em>Kleine</em>. Come sit in the other room while we discuss Douglock.”</p><p>“What happened to him?”</p><p>“He's missing. He was abducted.”</p><p>She stood up slowly, holding the chair, and when the room didn't fall apart, she followed him out.</p><p>At first she only listened, eyes focused on the ground and following the wavy blue line on her boots as Nightcrawler's team listened and talked. When she was brave enough to look up, he was at the front of the room, half perched on the arm of a chair. His injured leg was stretched in front of him and he leaned on the other.</p><p>“We had hoped to find Douglock at the Black Air Acquisition Station, but as we now know, he was not there, at least not for long. Fortunately, Meggan and Rahne were able to find some useful information in their search.” He held up a slip of paper with writing on it. “A man named 'Scratch' has taken Douglock to the Black Air Headquarters in the center of London. It's a huge building, according to Brian. He says we can't miss it. This is going to require some finesse, though. We don't want to go in looking like terrorists. The building will be full of people, most of whom are probably unaware of what Black Air is really doing. We need to make sure they aren't harmed. I'll put in a call to Pete later on.”</p><p>Nightcrawler outlined the team's plan of action for the morning, and then gestured to Kitty, who immediately blushed hot when they all turned to look at her. “We have another item of business to address now. That of the former Massachusetts Academy student, Kitty Pryde. Not Parker, as we were previously told,” he said, a hint of a smile aimed at her. “She's, er, had a rough day, so I would ask you to be patient. Suffice it to say she has been quite misled by one Emma Frost.”</p><p>“We can't trust any of Frost's kids.” Rogue's crossed arms and furrowed brow made Kitty want to agree with her and leave. Unfortunately, she couldn't do that with the inhibitor collar around her neck. She stayed where she was and looked back at her boots.</p><p>“Normally I would agree with you. However, circumstances have changed.”</p><p>“What do you mean <em>changed</em>?” Rogue said.</p><p>“I mean, <em>her</em> circumstances have changed. She can't go back to the Massachusetts Academy. I don't have to explain why, I hope. And she has no family to return to, either. I'm going to allow her to stay here.”</p><p>“So she's part of our team now?” Rahne looked from Kitty, who was shaking her head vigorously, to Nightcrawler.</p><p>“Why would you do that? She attacked us! You're still bleeding, even as we sit here,” Rogue agreed, throwing her hands in the air.</p><p>Nightcrawler stood up, and doing so stopped all the talking. Kitty was impressed. Either he was much more powerful than they were, or they respected him.</p><p>“I didn't say make her part of the team. And <em>she</em> did not attack us. She's going to stay here, in our custody, until we come up with a suitable arrangement. I am asking you to remember that all of us have, at some time or another, been lied to, cheated on, mistreated, or otherwise dealt a raw blow, and to remember how that felt.”</p><p>Meggan spoke up. “I can feel her emotions. She's upset right now, and scared, but there is nothing evil about her. And Kurt's right, she wasn't the one who attacked us.”</p><p>“I drew my sword first,” Kurt said, surprising Kitty. She looked up to find his face turned in her direction.</p><p>The rest of them were still looking at her, but they had gone quiet. She was sure they must hate her. Maybe hate was too strong a word, but they certainly didn't trust her. And why should they? She was a liar as much as Frost was. “I don't belong here,” she said quietly.</p><p>“That is not your choice at the moment,” he said, dismissing her. He was all business right now, addressing his team like a real leader, not the kind Kitty had tried to be. He drew them back to the issue at hand. “For now, team, let's focus on getting Douglock back, and if you'd show patience and understanding to our guest, I would appreciate it.”</p><p>“Why do you care so much?” Rogue demanded. “She's one of our enemies.”</p><p>Nightcrawler shrugged. “I've explained that already. Everyone deserves a second chance. Right, <em>Meine Freundin<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote2sym" id="sdfootnote2anc" name="sdfootnote2anc"><sup>2</sup></a></em>?” Kitty saw a look pass between them that seemed tense, but Rogue said no more.</p><p>“Tomorrow we will fly to London and attempt to get our friend back,” he said. “So get some sleep, all of you.”</p><p>The team gradually dispersed, until Kitty was alone with Nightcrawler once again. “You should eat something,” he said, limping back to the kitchen. She trailed after him, unsure of what else to do, and he began taking food out of the refrigerator. “I'm going to have something myself. I've been neglectful lately, worrying about Douglock.”</p><p>“You should see a doctor.”</p><p>“Eventually. Team business is pressing. Douglock could be dead.”</p><p>“He's really important to you.”</p><p>“He is our friend and teammate, and an innocent in many ways. He was kidnapped from the shore of Muir days ago, and we've had no sign of him since. We had hoped to find him today. Every delay increases the chance that we will not find him, or that he will be dead when we do.”</p><p>“And Black Air took him?”</p><p>“Yes, we have video of it. We know Black Air is in league with the Hellfire Club, but we don't know why.” He turned to her. “Do you happen to know anything about it?”</p><p>“No, I'm sorry. Ms. Frost acted like they were enemies.”</p><p>He sighed as he turned the stove on to brown some meat. “No matter. Frost may not even be aware. Of if she is, they are backstabbing their partners, not that it would be surprising. Frost is about as bad as they come, though Shaw is worse.”</p><p>“Do you think she was manipulating us? My fr—I mean, my classmates and me?”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, I would count on it. She doesn't know any other way.” He threw vegetables in with the meat, and Kitty's stomach growled loudly. “It's probably why you didn't realize the truth about her sooner.”</p><p>She dropped her head to the table, forehead resting on her arms. Only then did she let the tears fall, silently as she could. It was bad enough to cry without being obnoxious about it.</p><p>“Are you all right?” he said.</p><p>“No.” Her voice came out like a whine, and only made her cry more.</p><p>She felt his hand on her shoulder briefly. “I know it's a lot to take in. If it helps, I don't blame you.”</p><p>“It doesn't, but thanks anyway.”</p><p>“Maybe later it will mean something.”</p><p>She sniffed, keeping her head down, but peeking over her arms when she heard him limp back to the stove. “Why are you so nice?”</p><p>“Why am I nice? Why not? You prefer someone who is cruel?”</p><p>“No, I just meant...why are you being nice to <em>me</em>? Even before, last year, everyone wanted to kill me and you just wanted to feed me.” He was doing the same thing now.</p><p>He chuckled. “And as I told you then, we were under a bit of stress. And they didn't want to <em>kill</em> you.”</p><p>“They sure acted like it. Anyway, <em>you</em> weren't mean, even when you knew I was lying to you.”</p><p>He stirred the beef and turned off the burner to drain it. “When you look like me, people tend to assume you are a certain way—that is, they assume because I <em>look</em> like a devil, I must have the temperament of one. I like to disappoint them.”</p><p>“That must suck.”</p><p>He shrugged and stirred the meat. “Mm, sometimes. But you would be surprised. My circus friends were very understanding and welcoming. I never felt outcast there. It was not until I went to the city, or the American circus, that I ever felt prejudice.”</p><p>“Were you with Ringling?” She laid her chin on her arms and wiped her eyes with a napkin.</p><p>“The circus company? No,” he laughed, but it was a mirthless sound. “I was <em>not</em>. It was a small circus based in Florida, and run by a terrible man who ran a...a <em>dishonest</em> business.”</p><p>“Oh. That's lousy.”</p><p>He shrugged. “No matter. I don't work there any longer.” He set the food on the table and Kitty suddenly realized she should be helping. She wasn't here to be waited on, and he was injured.</p><p>“Plates?”</p><p>He pointed, and she set them out, along with utensils and napkins. “Do the others eat with you?”</p><p>“Sometimes. Rogue might join us.”</p><p>“Rogue is the one without a real name, isn't she?”</p><p>“She has a name, she just doesn't like to use it. I should have introduced everyone. I will next time.”</p><p>“It's okay. I read up on you before we came over. We had a whole book—oh. I guess all my stuff's gone now.” Kitty's shoulders slumped. One more thing to add to the list of problems in her life right now. She set the plates on the table and said, “So...where's Phoenix?”</p><p>His easy manner disappeared. “Unfortunately, she is lost to us. We don't know where she is. She sacrificed herself to bring Brian back from the time stream.” He paused. “We have had so many losses.”</p><p>She didn't know what a time stream was, or what he meant about sacrificing herself. She didn't need to to understand the loss. “I'm so sorry.”</p><p>“It has not been easy.”</p><p>“No, I'm sure it hasn't. I really <em>am</em> sorry.”</p><p>“Thank you. Go on now and eat.”</p><p></p><div>
  <p class="sdfootnote"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote1anc" id="sdfootnote1sym" name="sdfootnote1sym">1</a>Idiom “You've got to be kidding me” Literal: “I laugh me broken.”</p>
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  <p class="sdfootnote"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote2anc" id="sdfootnote2sym" name="sdfootnote2sym">2</a>My friend (feminine)</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Dinner</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kitty was surprised when instead of Rogue, Moira joined her and Kurt for dinner. She heard her before she saw her, her lab shoes making a dull slapping sound on the tile floor.</p><p>“Aha, the troublemaker returns.”</p><p>“She's in need of our help, Moira. She's been through a lot.”</p><p>“I'll bet. Try to blow anyone up lately?”</p><p>Kitty shrank back.</p><p>“<em>Moira</em>. She's lost everything. They left her behind when she helped us. She's as lost as any of us right now. And she saved me again today.”</p><p>“You're getting careless in your old age, Kurt Wagner.”</p><p>“Careful, I'm still quite a bit younger than you.”</p><p>“Aye, a baby, you are.”</p><p>“Well, Ms. Parker, what have you got yourself into this time?”</p><p>Kitty swallowed the last bite of her taco and sat up straighter. “Hello, Dr. MacTaggert,” she said politely. “My name is actually Kitty Pryde.”</p><p>“I figured the name was fake. Hello then, Kitty Pryde. What's happened to you?”</p><p>“Well. In a nutshell, I learned that everything I thought I knew was a lie, I'm not going to graduate from high school, I've lost my scholarship to Chicago's School of Engineering, my parents are in Witness Protection, I did some really bad things, and literally everyone hates me.”</p><p>Moira huffed. “Bah, the last part's not true. Chicago School of Engineering, huh? What part?”</p><p>“Technology.”</p><p>“You apply anywhere else?”</p><p>“MIT, Stanford, Caltech, and Oxford. A few others.”</p><p>“How many accepted you?”</p><p>“All of them.”</p><p>The room fell silent as Dr. MacTaggert looked over Kitty's head at Nightcrawler. She remembered she was allowed to call him Kurt now. He still felt like Nightcrawler to her.</p><p>“Is that so?” Moira said, lowering her glasses.</p><p>“I've been in advanced classes since I was six.”</p><p>“D'you know anything about techno-organic circuitry?”</p><p>“I've heard of it. A virus, right?”</p><p>“Yes, it can be. It's what Douglock is,” Kurt said, pressing a thumb to his chin and regarding her with narrowed eyes. “Would you, perhaps, consider coming with us tomorrow?”</p><p>“No way.” She leaned back from the table as if to escape the request.</p><p>“Why not?”</p><p>“Are you kidding? I'm your enemy, remember? Everyone else seems to understand that. I should be in one of your jail cells or something, not eating dinner with you and talking strategy.”</p><p>He and Moira both stopped eating and stared at her.</p><p>Nightcrawler's wry smile crept up slowly, pulling one corner of his mouth up so that only one fang showed. “I can arrange that.”</p><p>She poked at her food. “I just don't think your team appreciates you letting me walk around.”</p><p>“It isn't their choice.”</p><p>“But...”</p><p>“Do you know of Rogue's history? She was once our enemy. She fought with us on numerous occasions, and did great damage to many of us. She worked with Magneto, and nearly killed Carol Danvers. Yet here she is.”</p><p>“Well. You still haven't had enough time to know anything about me.”</p><p>He returned to his dinner, and the three of them ate in silence until Moira took their plates away.</p><p>“Our teammate and friend Douglock was brutally kidnapped by a group called Black Air. We've dealt with them in the past, and they are now in league with your Emma Frost. Douglock may well be dead, but until we know that for sure, we will keep trying to find him. I will accept any help in finding him. If you refuse, I can't make you.”</p><p>Kitty put her head in her hands. “I don't know.”</p><p>“He's techno-organic, which means part of his body is from the Phalanx. Do you know anything about them?”</p><p>“A little, from one of my classes. Aren't they a hive mind?” She thought back to what little they'd taught about Phalanx groups and hive minds.</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, they are. Because of the technological aspect of his nature, it would be beneficial to have someone on the team with computer skills. I have some, but I would certainly not gain acceptance to the universities you mentioned.”</p><p>“You don't think I'll just run off?”</p><p>“If you do, we'll be where we were before you came along. No worse off, but no better. We'll manage.”</p><p>“So you don't care?”</p><p>“Of course I care. But I can't control it, can I?”</p><p>“I guess not.”</p><p>“There is no point wasting time on things I cannot control. Either you will help us, or you won't. I won't hold it against you either way.”</p><p>Moira finished what she was doing and started on her way to her lab.</p><p>Kitty called to her. “Excuse me, Dr. MacTaggert?”</p><p>“Och, what is it, child, I'm in a hurry.”</p><p>“Could you look at his leg, please?”</p><p>“What? Did he get himself injured again?”</p><p>“He was shot.”</p><p>“An' how long've you been out here, you bloody wee bampot, bleeding half to death?” Dr. MacTaggert continued mumbling and cursing, to herself and Kurt, while Kitty giggled at the faces he made. She poked and prodded under the bandage, then grabbed him by one pointy ear and hauled him away to the infirmary.</p><p>Kitty stifled another giggle that faded as soon as they were both gone. For a few seconds, she'd forgotten her troubles. She stayed in the kitchen, washing all the dishes before she sat back down. When Moira finally came back in, she seemed surprised to find Kitty still there.</p><p>“I didn't know what else to do. I'm kind of your prisoner and—”</p><p>“You're no prisoner. Kurt doesn't play that game. The collar is temporary. Once he decides you're not gonna try to kill us all, he'll have Rogue take it off. If not for her, I doubt he'd have it on you at all. He's too soft sometimes.”</p><p>“If I'm not allowed to leave, then I'm a prisoner.”</p><p>“An' just where would you go?”</p><p>She had no answer, and Moira nodded. “So your team abandoned you?”</p><p>“Yes. It's their collar,” she touched the inhibitor collar around her neck.</p><p>“An' why'd they do that?”</p><p>“I was supposed to be their team leader. They didn't listen to me, and they wouldn't stop fighting. They were shooting. People were going to die. So I...”</p><p>Moira nodded knowingly. “You turned on 'em.”</p><p>Kitty put her head in her hands. “So they left me behind. Nightcrawler came back for me.”</p><p>“Did he now? You see? Take some advice, girl, and thank your lucky stars you ran into Kurt Wagner instead of the Avengers or one of them others from New York. He's a good man who's seen enough to sour anyone, but he makes his way through this world with his head high and a smile ready.”</p><p>“Yeah, he's nice. I liked him better than—well, I like him.”</p><p>“Come on, I'll give you a room while he's talking to Pete. We'll have to keep it locked, now, but it'll be a place to sleep.” She led Kitty down a hall to a stairwell, and up to the second floor. At the top was another long hall, similar to the one below, but lined with more doors. “This is the dorm hall. I think this one,” she said and pushed open a door, “Yes, this one's empty.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Kitty said. She wasn't sure what to do now, since she had no things to unpack. Not even pajamas. Moira noticed, and made a face as she thought.</p><p>“I'll bring you something.” Once again, Kitty was left alone. Moira didn't lock the door when she left. Kitty could walk out, go to the dock, wait for a ferry. And then what? Moira was right. She had nowhere to go, and with the collar on, she'd stick out and have no defenses. Did she really <em>want</em> to leave, anyway? Kitty wandered around the little room, sparsely furnished with a single bed, dresser, and a small desk. Closets weren't as common here as in America but there was a small wardrobe in the corner. The bed was bare, and Kitty opened the wardrobe to look for linens. She found some on a top shelf and started to make the bed.</p><p>She wondered if she should go with Kurt's team in the morning. She'd be more of a liability to them than a benefit. She didn't know anything about techno-organic circuits. And what if this Douglock guy was dead? She'd be no use at all then.</p><p>Moira returned with a pile of clothes and basic toiletries. Kitty thanked her.</p><p>“So you're a bit of a computer whiz, eh?” Moira said, shoving her hands in the pockets of her lab coat.</p><p>“I guess.”</p><p>“Would you like to see some techno-organic circuitry before tomorrow?”</p><p>“I don't know if I'm going.”</p><p>“Of course you are.”</p><p>“Well, I don't know—”</p><p>Moira stared her down.</p><p>“Yeah, I'm gonna go.”</p><p>“I know it. You can't tell him no, either.”</p><p>“Yeah. It's not easy.”</p><p>“It's hard not to love him. Everyone does.”</p><p>She didn't want to talk about Nightcrawler. “So I can see some of the circuitry?”</p><p>Moira pulled something out of her coat pocket and handed it to Kitty. She turned it over in her hands, inspecting the wiring and metal bits.</p><p>“It's inert, dead, but better to have something, right?” Moira stuffed her hands in her lab coat pockets while Kitty turned the circuitry over and over.</p><p>“Yeah. This helps a lot, actually.” Kitty said, still inspecting it. “Do you know if it's like a computer? I mean, does it work that way, or is it like a person? Is there a port to access the data?”</p><p>“Slow down. He's like, half computer half man. I don't think there's a port, per se. I've only seen him stick his odd tendrils into things to access them.”</p><p>She cocked her head, still turning the piece over in her hands. “So...if I wanted to share information with it, er, <em>him</em>, would I just talk to him or have to upload it, like with a disk or something?”</p><p>“I believe you can do both, but I'm no expert. Douglock is, and of course, he's not here.” Moira looked sad at the mention of him. “Och, I hope Kurt can find him.”</p><p>Kitty didn't say anything for a while while she inspected the dead circuitry. Her curiosity was piqued. “Could I possibly keep this with me for a little while? I'll bring it back, but I—”</p><p>“It's fine. I don't need it, and if it helps get our Dougie back...” She wandered out, leaving Kitty alone again.</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>Kitty sat on the end of the bed, digging into the piece of circuitry. She wondered how she would connect to it, if his brain was a human brain or a computer brain. She wished she had more information. Maybe there was a computer she could use. Kitty went to the hallway, trying to remember which way she'd come. She found the stairwell and followed the hall back, emerging in the living room. The wolf-woman was there watching television.</p><p>“Excuse me,” Kitty said, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks.</p><p>The woman didn't look up. Nightcrawler had called her Wolfsbane.</p><p>“I'm sorry to bother you,” Kitty tried again. Finally the girl looked over.</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p>Kitty fumbled for an explanation. “Moira let me look at this, and I wondered if there's a computer I can use...”</p><p>“There's a lab.”</p><p>“Okay, um, could you show me?”</p><p>She sighed and got up. “Follow me,” she said.</p><p>“Thank you so much.”</p><p>The lab was one of the doors on the hallway she'd just come through. Kitty tried to thank her, but the woman wasn't in the mood to hear it.</p><p>“You're the one tried to blow up my mum.”</p><p>“No. I mean, well, yes, technically, but not really—”</p><p>She leaned forward. “An' you got me shot today. <em>I don't trust you</em>. An' I'll be watchin' you. Stay away from my mum.”</p><p>“Uh...okay. I'm really sorry about—”</p><p>“Save it. I'll trust you when you prove you can be trusted.”</p><p>“I didn't <em>know</em> it was a bomb,” she said, temper flaring.</p><p>“Still would've killed her.”</p><p>She was right. The girl left, and Kitty sat down at one of the computers. It required an access code. She put the circuit down and rubbed her eyes. She could probably hack it, but that wouldn't endear her to the team. She didn't want to ask Wolfsbane again—she wished she knew her real name. She was still trying to decide what to do when someone tapped her shoulder. She jumped and shrieked as she turned. How had he snuck in so quietly?</p><p>“Sorry,” Nightcrawler said. “Moira said you've agreed to join us tomorrow?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Thank you. We're meeting again. Update on the mission.”</p><p>He had changed into a sweater and jeans. The sweater had a tiny embroidered Pac-Man on the chest. It made her smile as she followed him out, bringing the circuitry with her. She was afraid to leave it anywhere lest she lose it and upset Moira. The whole team had assembled in the living area again, and Kitty sat down on the floor beside the couch, where she could listen but not be noticeable.</p><p>Kurt settled himself on the back of the same chair as before, his feet on the cushion. “As you know, Brian has been monitoring the state of things in London for the last several days. Two days ago they began reporting an uptick in crimes, and overnight it has exploded. He said the city is on fire—literally. Violent crime has also increased exponentially. People are killing indiscriminately. What this means for us is we now have two reasons to go to the city, and another reason to use caution.”</p><p>“What's causing it all?” Rahne said.</p><p>“We don't know yet. Meggan may be able to sense something when we get close to the city tomorrow.”</p><p>“You think it's magic?” Rogue said.</p><p>“Again, we don't know, nor does Brian, but the Club is being tight-lipped about it. He said people report feeling a compulsion to do evil.”</p><p>“It could be elemental,” Meggan said. “Should I fly there now?”</p><p>“No. I think it better if we all stay together. We'll leave early in the morning, before sunrise. I have something else to discuss with you.”</p><p>Kitty's stomach flipped over. It was about her again. He gestured at her as he began to speak.</p><p>“Kitty—Kitty Pryde, our guest, is a computer expert. I've asked her to come with us tomorrow and use her expertise to help us retrieve Douglock. We don't know what they've done with him, and as incredible as I may be at repairing Blackbirds, I'm not so good with computers. Since she'll be coming with us, I thought you should all introduce yourselves to her.”</p><p>He met her eyes, and when she didn't move, he walked over and hauled her up by the arm. Kitty's face was hot and she shifted from foot to foot as she stared back at these people who didn't want her here, and didn't want her coming with them tomorrow. She focused on Meggan's face, smiling and friendly, and decided she liked her.</p><p>“I'm Meggan. Brian's in London, but he's my <span>fianc</span><span>é</span> and he's Captain Britain.”</p><p>Kitty didn't know what to do, so she waggled her fingers in a sort of wave and said, “I...I saw him there.”</p><p>Her face brightened, if it was possible. “You did?”</p><p>Kitty nodded. “Before we went to the Acquisition Station.”</p><p>Rogue huffed and cut off the budding conversation. “Ah'm Rogue. We've met.”</p><p>The redheaded wolf-woman was next. “I'm Rahne Sinclair.”</p><p>Kitty figured she should say something, so she cleared her throat and fidgeted a little. “I, uh, I'm really sorry about everything that happened today. Really, I didn't want anyone to get hurt, I didn't want to fight, I—”</p><p>“It's all right, Kätzchen,” Nightcrawler said, patting her shoulder and leaving his hand there. It was a comforting weight. “I think there is not one of us here who can say they never needed a second chance.” He looked out at them. “Including myself.”</p><p>“As long as you don't betray us, looks like you got a new team now,” Rogue said, and Kitty was surprised to find her eyes feeling watery.</p><p>“Aye, we'll let you stay,” Rahne said, though she looked like it was said begrudgingly.</p><p>Kitty wiped her eyes. “Thanks. Really, thank you.”</p><p>Moira came in then, and laughed. “Kurt you look like you're meetin' with your harem.”</p><p>Kitty stared at the doctor, but everyone laughed, and Kitty realized it did sort of look that way. Beside her, he bowed. “It's my honor to work with such marvelous women.”</p><p>The meeting ended, and Kitty took the opportunity to ask about the computer access. “Excuse me, Nightcrawler—”</p><p>“Kurt, remember?”</p><p>“Okay. Kurt. Can I get access to one of the computers?” She held up the circuitry again. “Moira let me see this, and—”</p><p>“Of course.” They returned to the lab and he typed a code into the computer. “You're logged in as me, so if you download any illegal movies, I'll know.”</p><p>Kitty choked back a laugh. “Okay, I'll remember that.”</p><p>He didn't leave, but watched as she started searching for information, clicking through sites and then <em>into</em> them, digging for information that wasn't public knowledge. The government sites were far too easy to break into, and she did it with practiced ease.</p><p>“Did you just...?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>He sat down to watch, shaking his head now and then, sometimes asking what she had just done. She navigated the sites quickly, downloading and printing everything she could find on the techno-organic Phalanx group.</p><p>“Did you ever hack...<em>our</em> system?”</p><p>“No, I never needed to. Why? Do you want me to?” She smirked.</p><p>“No, no, that won't be necessary.” He patted her shoulder again. “This is impressive, really. Thank you again for agreeing to help.”</p><p>She stopped typing and looked up at his face, slightly above hers from the way he was crouched in the chair beside her instead of sitting.</p><p>“You don't need to thank me for anything and I wish you wouldn't. After I left here, I tried to find out the truth and I couldn't. I let it go, even when I knew, deep down, that something wasn't adding up. I should've done things differently today, too. I'm sorry you and Rahne got hurt. It's my fault.”</p><p>“I won't tell you again. We all need a second chance sometimes.”</p><p>Maybe someday he would tell her about Stephan.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Hacker</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Perched beside Kitty on the chair, Kurt couldn't decide what was more fascinating to watch, her progress on the computer screen, or her face as she hacked her way through the website. When she was here over a year ago, she was a skinny little kid trying to pass as a college student and failing miserably. Now, in a short time, she had grown up, grown into features that were both sweet and womanly. He knew that finding her attractive meant he'd have to be even more careful about trusting her—<em>much</em> more careful—but he decided there was nothing wrong with admiring God's handiwork.</p><p>Her computer skills boggled him. He began to consider projects he never had before, now that she was here. They could finally finish their failed Cerebro unit. They could upgrade a lot of their technology in Moira's lab, and in their hologym. With her and Brian working together, their options were almost limitless.</p><p>“You didn't need my access code, did you?” he said.</p><p>She finished typing and flicked her eyes his way, a tiny smile hinting at the corner of her mouth. “No, but it would have been rude to break in.”</p><p>“I'll get you a code tomorrow...or maybe the next day.”</p><p>She printed the last of the pages she wanted and closed the open windows. “Where exactly are we going tomorrow?”</p><p>“The Black Air building.”</p><p>She stared at him, brows raising in question, and he realized she had no idea what the mission even was. Before she could log him out, he reached across and pulled up the security feed on the monitor. “This is what happened.”</p><p>He played the video of Douglock, smiling and curious about the approaching plane, until its spear pierced his heart. Kitty jerked back, one hand flying to her mouth in shock. “Oh! What the hell...”</p><p>“They took him away like that,” Kurt said. “We had no idea where to look until an associate of ours, a former Black Air spy, suggested the Acquisition Station.”</p><p>“So...Frost sent us to the Acquisition Station on the same day you happened to be there, too?”</p><p>“It's a remarkable coincidence, I agree.”</p><p>Kitty rubbed her head. “I think I should go to bed. My head hurts.”</p><p>Kurt got up and walked out of the lab with her. “We'll leave early,” he said.</p><p>
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  <br/>
</p><p>The general alarm went off at four a.m. and Kitty jolted upright. Oh. The mission. She felt like she'd only just gone to sleep. Mindlessly, she got ready, putting on her Hellfire Club uniform because it was all she had. She went to the hangar where the jet was already warming up.</p><p>“How long have you been up?” she said to Kurt, who jumped down from the jet to greet her and the others.</p><p>He grinned. “About an hour? Would you like a new uniform?” he said, noting her black and blue Hellfire suit. He couldn't complain about the skintight black, but the wavy blue lines looked stupid. “And maybe a code-name. Did you have one before?”</p><p>“Ghost.”</p><p>“Fitting. You can decide if you want to keep it or take a new one, it's up to you.”</p><p>“You gave me the idea for it.”</p><p>“How's that?”</p><p>“On the dock that day. You said I went through it like a ghost.”</p><p>“That you did,” he chuckled. “Then you stayed there until the ferry came.”</p><p>“But you didn't find me.”</p><p>He stopped what he was doing and leaned one shoulder against the hull of the ship. “I saw you. You looked terrified, and I decided it would be better to confront you on the ship with other people around.”</p><p>Kitty didn't have a chance to respond after that surprise as the others banged the hangar door open, talking and eating.</p><p>Meggan was as bright as ever. Rahne looked tired. Kurt hoped she hadn't stayed awake too long. She tended to wait up for Moira, who stayed in the lab until the wee hours of morning sometimes. They boarded the jet and headed towards London. They weren't far outside the city when Meggan gasped and they all stared out the windows at London below, burning.</p><p>“I feel the remains of the evil,” Meggan said closing her eyes and sending her elemental powers out. “The initial burst is over, but they've all been affected by it. Look at them, they're still attacking each other!”</p><p>“And that is another reason we're here. There's the Blackwall,” Kurt said, pointing to the massive black building towering over the city.</p><p>“That's definitely the source,” Meggan said. She turned to Kurt. “This is where the files say Douglock is?”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>,” Kurt replied, gathering his team around him once more. “This is a fool's errand,” he said, “And all of you are my friends, and I would like you all to come home when this is over. Including you, Kätzchen. All of you, be careful, try not to hurt anyone, and let's find Douglock.”</p><p>Kitty watched as he moved around the interior of the plane with purpose, no longer the hobbling, weak man she'd met last time, now he was all strength and confidence. She found herself staring at the muscles in his sides and legs as he moved around the cabin, securing things and checking on his team. He crouched in front of Kitty's seat. She hadn't dared move from it since they took off. “Please don't try to kill any of us,” he said with a wry smile as he unlocked the inhibitor collar.</p><p>She couldn't believe the trust he was placing in her. He had exactly zero reasons to believe she wouldn't run, or turn on them, and yet he was willing to give her a chance on a mission this important. Was this why the X-Men loved each other so much?</p><p>They followed him into the building, Rogue immediately breaking off to hold back some temporarily insane guards who wanted to kill everyone they saw. Meggan was left behind next, keeping mutant aliens at bay. It was down to Kurt, Rahne, and Kitty when they met the Red King at the door behind which they believed the source of the evil, and possibly Douglock, lay.</p><p>“Kitty, take Rahne inside. I'll deal with this <em>king</em>.” Kurt hoped he'd done the right thing, bringing her along, and taking the inhibitor collar off as well. If she planned to double-cross them, this would be the best time to do it.</p><p>They all knew that behind that door was something so evil it had corrupted an entire city, and he was sending her and Rahne to deal with it alone. Kitty didn't question his order, or even hesitate. She grabbed Rahne's hand and pulled her through the door before she could say a word.</p><p>Kurt unsheathed his swords and parried the Red King, who insisted he was in love and would kill for it. The sword fight felt good, stretching the muscles that wielded his swords with ease, and when the king was properly dispatched, Kurt kicked open the door and dashed inside. Many times he'd gone into a fight or through a door, not knowing what lay in wait. Many times he'd been surprised or even astounded. What he saw in the chamber past the Red King had nothing on those other experiences.</p><p>His foster mother Margali was melting into Douglock's head, Rahne was crying in front of his blank face, and Kitty was on the floor with a laptop, jabbing wires into pieces of Douglock's unraveled body. It took him far too long to get his brain back online to realize Rahne was talking to him.</p><p>“...unraveled him, Kurt.”</p><p>“I see it, Rahne. Kitty, what's the status?” He stumbled to her side and dropped to one knee beside her. The intent look in her eyes settled his mind and refocused his concentration. She wasn't panicking, she was working. He felt pride swelling up within him, pride and something else he didn't have time to address right now, so he laid a hand on her shoulder instead. Odd that such a gesture should make him feel better.</p><p>“Looks like they're using him as a conduit, hooked up to something underground. Some kinda power source, not sure what it is yet. I'm trying to connect him to the laptop so I can see what's going on in his head. Gimme another sec...” She bit her lip as she jabbed the wires into the techno-organic flesh. “Come on....get <em>in</em> there,” she muttered. “Aha!”</p><p>While Kitty worked, Kurt and Rahne inspected the unraveled tendrils of Douglock's body.</p><p>“Looks like it goes down this way,” Kurt said, as a brilliant flash of light illuminated the entire room. When it cleared, he could hardly believe who was standing there. Too many surprises in one day were wearing him out.</p><p>She was a wreck, not that he cared. Not much, anyway. “What are you doing here, Amanda?”</p><p>“Mother, oh <em>shit</em>, look at her. Idiot. I <em>told</em> her—look, there's a demon down there, and we have to stop it before it gets out.”</p><p>“A demon?” Kurt repeated. He and Amanda had not spoken much since she cheated on him, and salt in the wound was she was still with Piotr. He crossed his arms.</p><p>“Yes, she was trying to drain its power for herself.”</p><p>Douglock began to speak at that moment, as a triumphant whoop from Kitty echoed around the chamber.</p><p>“The demon is located directly below this chamber,” Douglock said, spitting out coordinates for Kurt.</p><p>“Och Dougie! You're gonna be okay, we're gonna get you home, okay?” Rahne patted his face, avoiding the melted parts of Margali Szardos.</p><p>“Yes, please, I would like to go home.”</p><p>“How do we get you free?” Rahne asked, inspecting the way he'd been unwound and the way the woman's hands seemed to drip down into his brain cavity.</p><p>“You will have to cut me free of the demon.”</p><p>Rahne vowed to get him free and take him home. Now that Kitty's work was done, she wasn't sure what to do, so she sat with the computer in her lap and scrolled through the programs they'd uploaded into him. There appeared to be only one offending program, and once deleted, he regained his autonomy immediately.</p><p>“All right. Let's get down to the chamber and cut him free,” Kurt said. Unfortunately, he had to allow Amanda to go along to contain the demon once the connection was severed. There was no telling what would happen. He took Rahne's hand.</p><p>“See you down there,” he said to Amanda.</p><p>Kitty heard the demon roar in the chamber below them when Rahne sliced through Douglock's cables. He reported to Kitty everything he could sense happening—Amanda sealing the hole in its chamber, Rahne severing his techno-organic cables, even Kitty discovering that there were no more offending programs hidden in his data banks.</p><p>The three of them returned to the main chamber, where Douglock chattered away as Kitty wound him up and helped him reform his body. Rahne leaped over to help, too, and in a few minutes, Douglock was his humanoid self again. Kitty picked up the laptop, closing the lid and gathering up the wires. Kurt tried not to look at Amanda too much, as she hovered on the outskirts of the work area. It hurt to see her, even after all this time. All the memories he usually kept repressed rushed back. Damn her for showing up, and yet, without her, the demon might have escaped.</p><p>“Where's Margali?” Kurt bit out, moving closer to Kitty again.</p><p>“She disappeared when you severed the connection,” Kitty said.</p><p>“You're keeping the computer?” he said when she picked it up.</p><p>“There might be stuff on here you can use.”</p><p>“Good thinking,” he said, smiling at her, and scratching his chin. “So she just disappeared?” He turned to Rahne. “Any trace of her?”</p><p>Rahne let go of Douglock's hand and went to full wolf form to sniff around. “Nothing, Kurt. I'm sorry.” She turned back to Douglock, “So Black Air was trying to use you to funnel power from this devil? But...why?”</p><p>“The Hellfire Royalty believed they could channel it. They didn't expect this to happen,” Amanda answered for him. “Mother stole the Soul Sword from Piotr and used it to kill all the magicians ahead of her on the Winding Way. But she wasn't satisfied. She wanted more power. She thought she could take the demon's power.”</p><p>“But what use is that to the Hellfire Club? Why would they help her?” Kurt asked, his voice icy. “And why are they working with Black Air?”</p><p>Amanda sighed and cocked one hip, a hand ruffling through her hair. “Hellfire thought that once Mother siphoned off enough power, they could use her to control governments across the world. They thought they'd be major players in world domination. Black Air wanted free reign for all their nasty little missions, and they would get it once Hellfire took over the British government. Black Air had the tech. Hellfire had the witch.” Amanda held her chin high and behaved as if she had single-handedly saved the world. Kurt wondered why he'd never noticed her conceit before.</p><p>“And why, might I ask, do <em>you</em> know all of this?” Kurt said, arms crossed and tail flicking.</p><p>“She <em>told</em> me.”</p><p>“And you didn't think to tell someone—”</p><p>“Look,” she said. “I know you hate me. I understand. But I came to help, not start a fight. I actually <em>like</em> helping. Piotr thinks—”</p><p>“Oh does he?”</p><p>Amanda sighed dramatically. Kurt was vaguely aware of Kitty moving around behind him, gathering up the rest of the electronics she wanted, and winding up the cords. Then she stood next to him, staring at him until he looked at her. She smiled.</p><p>Something heavy lifted and he knew he was in trouble. He managed to smile back at her, and the tension went out of his shoulders. He craved a connection to her, put his hand on her shoulder, and addressed Amanda again. It seemed a little easier. “What did Piotr say?”</p><p>Amanda seemed confused for a second, then continued. “He said we should ask to join Excalibur.”</p><p>“I'll consider it.”</p><p>“That's fair. Thank you.”</p><p>The group made their way back through the halls, collecting their teammates as they went, and emerging onto a now-crowded street. Military and police vehicles were everywhere, and an army representative arrived, looking for Kurt. Kitty watched the man shake Kurt's hand and thank him and his team for saving London. Kitty began to see that Ms. Frost was wrong about the X-Men. They weren't killers or soldiers, but people the same as any others, just trying to live their lives and keep other people safe. The destruction around them hadn't been caused by the X-Men, or rather Excalibur, but by the villains they had set out to stop.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Bad News</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Moira met them on the tarmac when they returned from London, her face drawn as she held her stomach and the wind whipped hair into her eyes. She didn't bother to move it. Even Kitty could tell something was wrong.</p><p>“Moira?” Kurt hurried over to her, but she brushed his hands aside and stepped past him.</p><p>“Look at you. Did you even bother to wash your wounds, Meggan? Och, you brought our Dougie back! Let's get you covered up,” she said, ignoring Kurt for the moment as she tended to Douglock.</p><p>“Thank you, Moira,” he said as she draped a blanket over his shoulders. “What is wrong?”</p><p>“Am I that transparent?”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>. What's happened?”</p><p>Moira took her glasses off and wiped at the lenses. “Oh god, Kurt. It's Charles Xavier. He's gone insane. He's killed...he's <em>killed</em>...it's so awful.” She put a hand to her eyes, and even Kitty wanted to comfort her.</p><p>“Then let's get outta here and go help 'em,” Rogue said, ready to go.</p><p>“We can be there in a couple hours,” Rahne said.</p><p>“I'll help, too,” Kitty said, but she didn't think anyone heard her.</p><p>“No!” Moira yelled, then lowered her voice. “No, please. It's too dangerous. Come inside first, and eat and get cleaned up.” She looked across the tarmac again in surprise. “Is that...” She blinked. “Is that <em>Amanda</em>?”</p><p>“Yes,” Kurt said, and went inside.</p><p>No one wanted to explain to Moira what was going on or why Amanda was with them, but Kitty, who didn't know their history, stopped to tell her. “Amanda showed up and helped us contain the demon. Nightcrawler—Kurt—he's been on edge since. She asked to be on the team. Her and Piotr. Colossus.”</p><p>“Och, <em>really</em>? That can't end well.”</p><p>“Why not? Who are they?”</p><p>Moira scratched her head and took Kitty's hand. “Let's go inside and get everyone cleaned up, and you and I will talk about it in private later.”</p><p>“Okay,” Kitty said, wondering what was so secret about this strange woman.</p><p>They went inside, where the team had scattered themselves around the living room, watching the news. Kurt took a restless seat on the couch, while across the room, Amanda sat primly in a chair, carefully avoiding looking at him. Rahne and Douglock were next to Kurt on the couch, Rahne trying to distract Kurt while reuniting with her friend. Meggan and Brian cuddled together on the loveseat. Kitty and Moira stood behind the couch.</p><p>The news reported first on the London tragedy, over half a million people dead there. It was almost too shocking to process. Meggan cried quietly while Brian comforted her. The next story was about Onslaught and the deaths of super teams in the States. There were numerous heroes missing, including the entire Fantastic Four team and some of the Avengers.</p><p>Kurt twisted around to talk to Moira. “We could easily fly over and lend a hand.”</p><p>Across the room, Meggan agreed. “I'd be happy to go if there's anything we can do. Maybe provide medical support? Brian's <em>Moonlight Flit</em> is a medical transport...”</p><p>“No, you all don't understand,” Moira said, clenching her fists. “If you leave, and something happens to you, who's left to care for the rest of the world? There are mutants all over the world, not just in New York. What happens to them if you're killed? There won't be anyone left to fight for them. You're staying here!”</p><p>She slammed her hand on the back of the couch, and Kurt turned back to the television. “Kitty,” Moira said, calming her voice, “Come with me please.”</p><p>Kitty followed quietly, still holding the laptop she'd taken from the chamber in London. Moira went upstairs to a small study at the end of the dorm hall. She left the door open, and when Kitty would have shut it, she stopped her.</p><p>“No, leave it. If he comes up here, I want to know. I'm going to tell you about Amanda. She's Kurt's foster sister. Her mother, Margali Szardos raised him from a baby, until he left her circus and went to Florida. He'll have to tell you about that, it isn't my place.”</p><p>“He told me the owner put him in the freak show.”</p><p>“Aye. Well, anyway, he was already in love with Amanda by then, and when she joined him in the States, they dated for a while. She cheated on him with one of his best friends, Piotr Rasputin. I don't know if he's seen much of either of them since then.”</p><p>“Um...” Kitty wasn't sure how to proceed. “She's his...<em>sister</em>? And his ex?”</p><p>“Yes. He was never legally adopted, but...I know,” Moira said, nodding at Kitty's look of disbelief, “It's highly unusual. Best not to think too hard on it.”</p><p>“Thanks for telling me. It all makes a lot more sense now.”</p><p>“You're welcome. Now d'you want me to take that computer?”</p><p>“I guess. It's from London, the one they were using to control Douglock.”</p><p>“Oh, you brought it back? What for?”</p><p>“To see what other files they have on it. I didn't really have time to search it yet.”</p><p>“That's a good idea. I'll put it down in the computer lab for you. Oh, and I overnighted some basic clothes for you. I put the box in your room. Just a few things to get you by til you can get out and shop.”</p><p>“Wow. Thanks Dr. MacTaggert, that was really kind of you.”</p><p>“It's Moira. Unless I'm mad at you,” she said with a slight laugh. “Och, this day. What I wouldn't give for a drink. Well, back to work, I suppose.”</p><p>Kitty wandered down the hall to the room she was using—her room, if she stayed—she <em>did</em> want to stay. If they let her...</p><p>The box was on the bed, and contained half a dozen basic t-shirts in various colors, two pairs of sweatpants, and two pairs of drawstring shorts, a pack of socks, and a pair of sneakers, one size too big. The rest would work. She could wear her uniform boots if she had to. Kitty looked at all the clothes, the room, the small box of toiletries and realized they did want her to stay.</p><p>She changed and went downstairs, where there was a heated argument going on in the living room about what had happened in America and London. Kitty wasn't interested in arguing with anyone, and she hadn't been with the team long enough to have a routine to fall back on. No one paid much attention to her, and she hesitated at the doorway before bypassing everyone on her way to the kitchen for a cup of tea. Maybe she could find a snack, too.</p><p>“Make enough for two,” Kurt said, taking the tea from the cupboard and handing it to her. “Please.”</p><p>She didn't really know what to say about anything—Douglock's rescue, Onslaught, London deaths, Amanda. So she stayed silent and studied the tea kettle.</p><p>“It will never boil if you watch it.”</p><p>“Moira must be rubbing off on you, quoting stuff like that.”</p><p>“She should be, we've been here long enough.” He perched on the edge of the counter when she moved away to get the cups. “I suppose we need to take you shopping.”</p><p>Kitty looked down at the clothes Moira had gotten her. The pants were too long and nearly covered her bare feet. She had pulled the drawstring tight. The shirt was too big, too, the shoulder seams well down her arms. “Yeah, eventually. The shoes didn't fit. The rest will do.”</p><p>“You look like you're drowning.”</p><p>Kitty chuckled. “It's fine.”</p><p>He rubbed his temple and sighed softly. The electric kettle clicked off, and she poured the water. “See?” Kurt said as he hopped down.</p><p>They took the tea to the table and Kurt brought over a basket of cookies and chips. He dug through the bags and boxes until he found what he was looking for, a tin of shortbread cookies. He handed one to her. “Ever have shortbread?”</p><p>“A few times. Thanks.”</p><p>They snacked in silence, and Kitty relaxed a little at last, after more than a day of tense anxiety and fear. She rubbed her neck.</p><p>“It isn't always like this,” Kurt said.</p><p>“Like what?”</p><p>“Chaos. We aren't always running form one disaster to the next, but it feels that way right now. Moira is adamant that we not go to New York, so that takes the Onslaught issue off our plate, at least for now. London is over, whether they're happy about it or not. Hopefully, tomorrow will be an easy day. I'll give you the tour of the center, so you can find your way around, and maybe Meggan will take you into town to get whatever things you need.”</p><p>Kitty nodded as he spoke. “Can I ask you something?”</p><p>“You can always ask, but I can't promise I'll answer.”</p><p>“Okay. This thing with Onslaught...he's <em>really</em> your Professor Xavier?”</p><p>Kurt scratched his head. “As far as the reports indicate, yes.”</p><p>She chewed her lip and he waited, sensing there was more to her question. “And he killed some people?”</p><p>“That's what the reports indicate.”</p><p>“What...I mean, why? What happened?”</p><p>“I don't know. Moira said when Jean and Scott came to tell her about it, he'd gone mad. And...” Kurt decided not to tell her about the Xavier Protocols yet. She didn't need to know the man had a crypt full of kill plans for his students. Then again, maybe she did. “I owe him my life, but that doesn't mean he's a saint. I think it's possible to appreciate the good someone has done while condemning what they've done wrong. Do you agree?”</p><p>She had asked something similar a year ago, after meeting Nightcrawler for the first time. Now the situation was reversed. Could she appreciate the good Ms. Frost had done for her, while condemning the lies and deceit and manipulation? Maybe. After all, Kitty was here now. “Yes, I think it's possible.”</p><p>“It is like that with Xavier. I would be dead were it not for him. There is no doubt of that. I will always be indebted to him for my life. But he has done some things I can't condone, and some things I'll never understand. I've never believed anyone could be perfect, but I loved him for the things he did right.”</p><p>“Like with Ms. Frost. She did some rotten stuff, but she also gave me a good education, got me away from my parents, taught me to be proud of who and what I am, and then I met you because of her, too. All of you.”</p><p>Kurt didn't say that she would have met them without Emma Frost if she'd gone with Xavier, but it didn't seem important. “You count taking you away from your parents a good thing?”</p><p>“Yeah. They fought all the time. I got shuffled from one school to another after Xavier tried to recruit me and told my mother I was a mutant. She was furious. My dad hates the X-Men, and mutants, and my mom, too. I never told them. I don't know what they would have done.”</p><p>“I'm sorry. That must have been very hard.”</p><p>“It doesn't matter any more.”</p><p>Kurt picked his head up, attending to the sounds from the living room. “I think they've stopped arguing. The news must be over. Care to watch a movie?”</p><p>He had so many movies she had never seen, old black and whites, swashbuckling adventures, comedies, and a collection of Robin Hood. They sat on the couch, with the popcorn between them. Kitty nodded off and almost landed face-first in the popcorn bowl, saved by Kurt's hand on her cheek and another at her shoulder. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, apologizing, and Kurt turned the movie off.</p><p>“It's been a long day, and sleep is a good idea. See you tomorrow, Kätzchen.”</p><p>“Good night, Kurt.” She stumbled up the stairs and left him to take care of the popcorn and the movie.</p><p>
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</p><p>No one put the collar back on her. No one locked her door. She slept peacefully and woke later than she usually did. Everyone else was awake when she came downstairs.</p><p>“We thought you left in the night,” Rahne said with a smirk.</p><p>“I was tired,” Kitty said, and she hated that she felt guilty about it.</p><p>Meggan breezed in and stopped when she saw Kitty. “Shopping today?” She was smiling and happy, and her joy was infectious.</p><p>Kitty smiled back. “Okay.”</p><p>“We'll go before lunch and we can eat in town.”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>Kurt found her just before noon. Kitty was in the living room with Douglock, watching him watch television. He imitated everything the people did, as if he was trying to learn to be human.</p><p>“Kitty.”</p><p>She tipped her head back to see Kurt coming into the room. He was shirtless, covered in sweat, and had a towel draped across his shoulders. She tried not to stare, but he was all toned muscle and it was impossible not to notice and admire.</p><p>“After I shower I'll give you the tour. Meggan said she'd love to take you shopping.”</p><p>“She already mentioned it.”</p><p>“<span><em>Wunderbar</em></span><span>.</span> See you in a few minutes.”</p><p>The grand tour wasn't much. She was already familiar with the main living area and the hangar, and she'd been to Moira's lab on her first visit. She had never seen the hologym, and she didn't know there was a library. After that, there wasn't much left. Basement storage and empty rooms and the cell block. Moira sometimes housed mutant prisoners who required medical attention or treatment that could not be gotten elsewhere.</p><p>“I'll show you how to program the hologym another day,” he said when they wandered back into the living room. “Although, you probably don't need lessons on that.”</p><p>Meggan flew in, cheerfully waving to Kurt as she took Kitty's arm. “Ready to go?”</p><p>“Sure,” she said. Then something new occurred to her. “No, actually. No, I don't—” she couldn't buy anything. Embarrassment flooded her as she admitted, “I didn't think of it earlier. I forgot I don't have any money.”</p><p>Meggan's smile remained warm and happy. “Silly, you don't need it. We all get a stipend from the team funds.”</p><p>“I don't have a stipend...I'm not on the team.”</p><p>“Yes, you are,” Kurt said. “Hold on.”</p><p>He teleported away and was back a minute later with cash. “It's more than enough to get you whatever you need, and I'll have Brian add you to the account at the bank next time he's in town.”</p><p>Kitty shook her head at the wad of bills in his hand, and clasped hers behind her back. “I can't take that from you.” She would <em>not</em> take his money.</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, you can, and you <em>must</em>,” he said, pulling one hand out and pressing the bills into it. “You need clothes, toiletries, shoes that fit. Go get what you need. It's not <em>my</em> money, it's team money. <span><em>Verstehen</em></span>?”</p><p>Reluctantly, she shoved the bills into her pocket. She didn't even have a purse. Meggan grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room then, and Kitty had to skip to keep up.</p><p>
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</p><p>In the <em>Midnight Runner</em> Meggan explained that Brian had funded the team at the start, but they had invested in some lucrative stocks and that's where most of the team money came from now. Meggan was sweet and cheery and easy to be around, and Kitty enjoyed the trip. They went all the way into Edinburgh, so she could have her choice of shops and eateries. They spent the afternoon shopping, and when they were finished, Kitty had her own clothes again, sneakers that fit, a simple purse, and a good, warm coat.</p><p>“I had fun today, Meggan,” Kitty said as they headed back to Muir. “Thanks for doing this.”</p><p>“I had fun, too. I love shopping. It's like changing who you are without <em>really</em> changing who you are.”</p><p>Kitty grinned. “That's funny coming from a shapeshifter.”</p><p>“I know.” She giggled, enjoying her own joke.</p><p>They picked up pizza on their way back, the smell of which drew all of Excalibur into the kitchen. Kitty learned later that Meggan usually brought pizza back when she went out, so they knew to expect it, but at the time, it seemed almost like magic the way everyone suddenly congregated in the kitchen, all talking and laughing and getting along. It was like a family dinner, and Kitty stood at the doorway watching for a moment before running upstairs to put her bags away. She didn't want to miss these moments, or the pizza.</p><p>She shouldn't have worried, as Meggan had bought six larges. Kurt refused to take any of the money back, insisting it was Kitty's now. Amanda came in last, and not long afterwards, Kurt left, taking his pizza with him. Kitty wanted to go after him, but she already felt like a tag-along, so she stayed where she was.</p><p>The team told stories and inside jokes that Kitty didn't understand. Her pizza finished, she went into the living room. It was dark out already, and she went through onto the small back patio, and from there wandered out to the hillside to think. When she was younger, she'd been at the same elementary school and the same middle school without a change. Then, in high school when they started shuffling her about, she suffered from a constant feeling of being left out. She hadn't felt that way at the Massachusetts Academy, but she felt it again now.</p><p>This team had history. They knew each other, even Amanda. Kitty was an outsider, not privy to the jokes about dragon trains and werewolves, not familiar with the retold-for-the-tenth-time stories. She wasn't ungrateful for a new opportunity, but she was lonely. For the first time since she'd gone away to the Massachusetts Academy, she missed her parents a little. She longed to fit in here, but no matter how kind Meggan was, or how tolerant Rogue became, she feared she would always be the odd one out.</p><p>She lay on the cold ground among the heather, gazing up at the millions of stars. There were so many, and as the sun continued to sink lower, the galaxy seemed to appear from a mist, filling the sky. It was beautiful, and she was so caught up in gazing at the stars that she jumped nearly out of her skin when Nightcrawler's signature <em>bamf</em> sounded behind her head.</p><p>“Are you thinking of running away to the stars?” he said, peering down at her.</p><p>She tipped her head farther back but she couldn't find exactly where he was. Finally she said to the open sky, “No, I was just looking at them.”</p><p>“Lovely, aren't they?” he said and sat down beside her. He was a dark shadow, mostly an outline, but his eyes shone and she focused on them.</p><p>“There are so many,” she said. “It was never like this in Chicago, or Deerfield. Or even Massachusetts. I've never seen the night sky like this.”</p><p>He looked up and agreed. “It was like this in Winzeldorf, outside the village. So many you could understand the phrase 'blanket of stars.' Here, we're so busy, we rarely take the time to notice them.”</p><p>The sun finished its descent, and as full darkness covered them, Kitty realized she couldn't see more than a vague, darker outline of Kurt beside her.</p><p>“You're invisible,” she said.</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, that happens in the dark. The theory is it has to do with my teleportation.”</p><p>“How does that work?”</p><p>“I don't actually disappear, you know. I travel through another dimension, very briefly, but the dimension is always...” she had the impression that he was waving his arms around. “...around me. Very convenient for Hide and Seek. I can see everyone else, but they can't see me.”</p><p>“Well, no one else disappears in the dark, so I guess that's quite an advantage.”</p><p>“I can also see in the dark.”</p><p>“Like a cat?”</p><p>“Better.”</p><p>“That's useful. So...you can see me right now?”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>.”</p><p>He lay back beside her, and Kitty looked for the big and little dippers. She didn't try to find his face or the shape of his body beside her, just listened to the sounds he made as he leaned back on his elbows or moved his tail through the grasses. The silence between them was comfortable, and Kitty wondered that she could feel so at ease with a man she barely knew, who had been, only days earlier, one of her sworn enemies. After only a few days she already turned to him for guidance and leadership and—dare she think it—friendship.</p><p>“Xavier has a data file in a room under the research center. It tells how to kill all the X-Men.”</p><p>Kitty sat straight up. “<em>What</em>?” In shock, she tried to find his face again, strained to see any part of him, finally reaching out to locate him. Her hand touched his chest. “You're impossible to see,” she explained, feeling a blush rise in her cheeks at having touched him so familiarly. She drew her hand back and tucked it in her lap, trying to keep her eyes where her hand had been.</p><p>“I know, I'm sorry. This is where you were.” There was a soft exhale of Kurt's breath and the movement of air in front of her face, his hand moving through the space between them. “I wasn't going to tell you. I probably shouldn't have.”</p><p>“Okay, so wait, go back. He has files on how to <em>kill</em> all his own students? What the hell is wrong with this guy?” She rocked up onto her knees, hands pressed into her temples as she processed this revelation.</p><p>“I don't know, Kätzchen, I don't <em>know</em>. He was the closest thing to a father I ever had and...” His voice caught and he stopped talking.</p><p>“That's the worst thing I ever heard. I can't believe he'd do this. Are you <em>sure</em> it's <em>his</em> stuff?”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, it's his.” His voice cracked again, and she wished she could comfort him, but she did not have the right to touch him. For all that she felt a friendship growing, she was still very much their former enemy, walking a shaky proving ground.</p><p>“God, Kurt...I'm so sorry.” She dropped her hands in her lap, still shaking her head.</p><p>“Frost seems all right in comparison,” he said, trying to be funny.</p><p>“You don't believe that.”</p><p>“No,” he sighed. “It's shocking, though, to realize he's had this data all this time, and thought about it so much. I suppose you must have felt much the same when you learned of Frost's true nature.” His sigh was almost a groan, which became a soft chuckle. “You should see your face.”</p><p>“I <em>wish</em> I could see yours.”</p><p>“We can go back inside.”</p><p>“Nah. It's nice out.” She stopped trying to see his features and put her head back down on the ground. She heard him move closer so their heads were almost touching. She could feel his hair tangling with hers. Silence descended again, except the soft sound of them breathing and Kitty's heart in her ears.</p><p>“I should not have burdened you with that information.”</p><p>“You mean you shouldn't have told me in case I go spilling it all to Frost later.”</p><p>“No—”</p><p>“It's okay. If I were you, I'd be wary of me, too.” She paused. “I'm not gonna do that, though.”</p><p>He touched her hand briefly. “Thank you.”</p><p>“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything I did.” Disappointing him felt worse than anything so far. “I don't know why they started fighting. It wasn't a mission like that. We were just supposed to get the equipment and subdue the guards. Nick...we were dating and even he...”</p><p>“It must have been hard betraying your team.”</p><p>“Not as hard as I thought it would be.”</p><p>“No?”</p><p>“I think...after I met you, I always had this little seed of doubt in me. But they couldn't consider the X-Men or your team being anything but evil. They hate all of you so much. And I couldn't.”</p><p>His hand moved over hers softly, comforting her. “Hate is a heavy burden that blinds people to even the possibility of good,” he said. “I'm going to put on a movie if you want to join me.”</p><p>He forgave her. Her throat felt tight, and she blinked until her eyes were clear. “Maybe. What movie? Not the one I fell asleep in the middle of, I hope.”</p><p>“I wouldn't want a repeat of the popcorn bowl incident,” he said. “I don't know yet. Perhaps the Crimson Pirates or some other good swashbuckling adventure. You can help me pick.”</p><p>“I've never heard of the Crimson Pirates.”</p><p>“It's excellent. Errol Flynn stars. It's the movie that got me interested in sword fighting when I was younger.”</p><p>“Circus performer <em>and</em> secret pirate wannabe. You're the most interesting person.”</p><p>“Doesn't everyone dream of doing something amazing? What did you want to do when you were little?” She heard the heather rustle, felt his arm brush hers momentarily, and from the change in his voice, she guessed he had rolled over. When his tail snaked across her knees, her suspicion was confirmed.</p><p>“Be a ballerina president. I took dance for a long time. Until I moved to Massachusetts, actually.”</p><p>“That's impressive. Do you miss it?”</p><p>“Sometimes. Did you ever take fencing lessons in your quest to be a pirate?” She rolled over too, moving just close enough that she could feel his shoulder dust against hers when they moved. It was utterly unnerving to know he was there, to feel him touching her, and yet be unable to see him.</p><p>“No, not formal ones. I copied what I saw on film. One year a man joined our circus who had taken fencing, and he taught me what he knew. I would go to his wagon every night and beg him to teach me more. He was very kind, and tolerated my pestering, until he left us.”</p><p>“And what about now? Do you still take lessons?”</p><p>“No. But I practice here in the hologym, or in the Danger Room when I was at Xavier's.”</p><p>“You can practice fencing in there? How?”</p><p>“You write a program. I have many pirate scenarios, even some here. As I said, I can show you how to write them. You won't have any trouble, and you can do just about anything. I imagine you could even write a ballerina president scenario.”</p><p>“Sounds kind of like the Academy's Dream Room. I don't know about the ballerina president thing anymore, but I'd love to watch you fight pirates.”</p><p>“Oh, no,” he said, and laughed. His tail tapped the back of her leg. “There's no watching, there is only helping defeat them. You can join me. It's fun.”</p><p>Kitty laughed loudly. “I'm <em>sure</em>. Fun getting my ass kicked by a holographic pirate. What happens when he runs me through?”</p><p>“Nothing. It's a hologram.”</p><p>She laughed again. “Okay, sure. Why not? Next time you run one of the programs, I'll do it with you.”</p><p>“<span><em>Wunderbar</em></span><span>.</span> Now, shall we watch a movie so you know what to expect?”</p><p>“Probably. Otherwise I'm just going to be fish food.”</p><p>“As if I would allow that to happen. You underestimate my skill.”</p><p>“I've never seen you fight pirates. It's not underestimating if I have no basis for judgment.”</p><p>“You have my word. I'm quite good.” His teeth glinted briefly in the floodlights from the station when he moved.</p><p>“Okay, Nightcrawler. Whatever you say.”</p><p>“You really should call me Kurt. We're teammates now. And friends.”</p><p>She sat up and leaned forward, squinting to see his face, to see if he was serious. She still couldn't see him, and again she reached out to find him. This time, he caught her hand in his and pressed it to his cheek. “Does that help?” he said, his voice soft in the night.</p><p>“Yeah,” she murmured. “Thanks.” He was so soft, she wanted to keep stroking his cheek all night. “You really think of me as a friend?”</p><p>“I really do.” He wished she'd never take her hand away. It felt so good, the way her fingers moved through the short fuzz on his cheek, investigating it. It had been a long time since anyone had cared to be close to him.</p><p>“Not just that game we played.”</p><p>He understood. “It wasn't a game.”</p><p>She smiled warmly at him as she let her hand fall. “It's nice to have a friend again.”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, it is. Do you like popcorn? We could make something else if you prefer,” he said as he sat up.</p><p>“I love popcorn.”</p><p>Most of the team was still in the living room, and when Kurt announced that it was movie time, Meggan and Brian left. Kurt rubbed his hands together while he deliberated over which movie to show her. At last he made up his mind and started it, while Kitty wondered where to sit. Kurt shooed Rahne and Douglock down the couch to make room, and waved Kitty over.</p><p>She sat by the arm of the couch, happy to be included, but afraid of intruding on Rahne's time with her friend.</p><p>“I can sit on the floor,” Kitty said.</p><p>“<span><em>Nein</em></span>, don't be silly.” He hopped up onto the arm of the couch instead of the seat beside her.</p><p>It was odd to have Kurt crouching beside her as he was, but she soon understood why. As soon as the sword fighting scenes began, he leaped up, brandishing an invisible sword, and acting out the scenes perfectly.</p><p>Kitty stared at him. The others ignored him. Rogue sighed dramatically from her chair across the room and rolled her eyes. Kitty wanted to say something to Kurt about his acting skills, and the way he so perfectly imitated the swordsmen on screen, down to the second with timing, but Rogue beat her to it.</p><p>“You look—” Kitty began.</p><p>Rogue interrupted. “Like an idiot.”</p><p>Kitty snapped her mouth shut.</p><p>Kurt didn't seem to care. “You wouldn't say that if I had a real sword in my hand. Avast! I would have you walk the plank for such careless words!” He kept right on acting out the scenes, all the way to the end of the movie. His accuracy was remarkable, and Kitty wondered how many times he'd seen this movie.</p><p>“I wasn't going to say that,” Kitty said when the movie went off and everyone had gone to their rooms.</p><p>“To say what?” Kurt said, as he turned off the movie.</p><p>“What Rogue said. That you looked like an idiot. You didn't. I thought it was amazing.”</p><p>“Ah, <em>danke, schatz</em>.” He chuckled and patted her shoulder. “Not to worry. I'm used to her wicked tongue.”</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Friendship Grows</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day after breakfast, Kitty went to the computer lab. Now that she knew Frost had altered the news and controlled students' access to the internet, she was eager to learn everything she'd been denied before. She spent several hours in the lab, and just before noon, she stumbled across an article that contained an interview with Sebastian Shaw.</p><p>It was a news headline about the London disaster, that mentioned the Hellfire Club. Shaw claimed Excalibur had framed them. “This Club has a long, prestigious history of philanthropic work, of which we are exceedingly proud. To suggest we would be involved in a crime of this magnitude, of such blatant <em>evil</em>, is preposterous. Clearly someone wants to bring the Hellfire Club into disrepute. We won't stand for it. We take slander and libel seriously.”</p><p>Another article later in the same paper indicated that Shaw Industries was involved in the reconstruction of London. And a third article, an opinion piece, implicated Excalibur rather than the Hellfire Club in the deaths during the London Incident.</p><p>Kitty printed it all out and left it with a little note for Kurt to read later. He wasn't around when she went to get lunch, so she ate with Meggan and Brian. The couple chatted amiably about building a lighthouse.</p><p>“Why do you want to build a lighthouse?” Kitty asked.</p><p>“We used to live in one,” Brian said. “It was destroyed during a fight with Necrom.”</p><p>“What—who's Necrom?”</p><p>“Long story. Suffice it to say, he's gone, and so is the lighthouse.”</p><p>Meggan said, “But I liked it, and we liked living there. I think we should rebuild it after we get married. Can you imagine raising children there? How fun!”</p><p>“I agree. The real question is where to build. I don't think we should risk rebuilding in the exact location as before.”</p><p>“Maybe nearby,” Meggan said.</p><p>Kurt teleported in, and Brian waved a hand under his nose. Kitty agreed that the purple smoke didn't smell good, but she didn't like to be rude. Apparently Brian didn't feel the same way.</p><p>“<em>Must</em> you do that where we're eating?” Brian said, coughing for emphasis.</p><p>“Apologies, <em>Herr</em> Braddock, I was in a hurry.”</p><p>“What is it?” Meggan asked.</p><p>Kurt's grin widened and he leaned against one hand resting on the back of Kitty's chair. “Kitty agreed to play pirates with me and I just finished setting it up.”</p><p>Brian rolled his eyes but he looked amused, not annoyed. “Oh boy,” he said. “You're in for something... <em>interesting</em>, Kitty. Kurt loves his pirate programs. He takes them very seriously.”</p><p>Kurt fixed a sandwich, unconcerned about Brian's opinion of his hobby. “Life is short, <em>Mein</em> <em>Freund</em>. Why not enjoy it when we can?”</p><p>“I never said you shouldn't,” Brian agreed with a laugh. He and Meggan had finished eating. “Speaking of enjoying life, Meggan and I are going out of town today.”</p><p>“I remember. Enjoy your vacation,” Kurt said.</p><p>Kitty said good-bye as well, though she wished they weren't leaving. She was getting to know Meggan at last, and she liked both of them.</p><p>While they ate, Kurt kept listing off different things about the program he'd picked. “Captain Crawler versus the Pirates of the Caribbean is the name of the program,” he said, “I hope you don't mind, but I just called you Pirate Kitty. I thought we'd team up for this one, rather than pitting you against me.” He grinned wickedly. “You wouldn't stand a chance.”</p><p>“In that case you should just make me your damsel in distress,” she said drily.</p><p>“No, that's not any fun for you. Besides, as smart as you are, I'm sure you'd figure a way out, even if you did get caught.”</p><p>“Thanks. So, uh, we just swashbuckle Jack Sparrow and friends?” She waved her hand in the air as if slashing with a sword.</p><p>“Yes, there's no real plot. We start the program and Barbossa and Davy Jones and Edward Teach leap out, among others, and together we'll just...” he made a few dramatic strokes in the air, “...buckle their swashes.” Kurt's enthusiasm was contagious, and by the end of lunch, she was eager to see what the program was really like. Kurt warned her that although it was holograms, they were a Shaskofrugnon solid light version, so she would feel sensations when they attacked her.</p><p>“So they can run me through for <em>real</em>?” she said, appalled.</p><p>“<span><em>Nein</em></span>, the safeties are set as high as they'll go for your first time. Normally I set them a bit lower, but never mind. You can't be hurt. If they stab you, you simply have to play along. You'll feel the sword touch you, but it won't hurt.” He raised a brow. “Didn't you train in the Academy in a holographic chamber?”</p><p>“We had one, and we trained but mostly we just fought each other.”</p><p>At the door of the chamber, he handed her a bandanna and a sword.</p><p>“I like to dress the part,” he explained.</p><p>“This is real!” she cried, hefting the sword. It was lighter than she expected.</p><p>Kurt grabbed her arm and lowered it. “Hold it like this,” he said, and helped her grip it properly. He scratched his head and said, “On second thought, we should probably go over some of the basics first...”</p><p>“Oh, no you don't. You got me all excited about fighting pirates and now you wanna tell me we can't? Come <em>on</em>, show me what to do. I'm a fast learner.”</p><p>He hesitated, but gave in, as eager to play as she was. “All right. Hold it like this,” he said, moving behind her to place her arm just so. “Thrust like this, parry like this, block like this.” He angled her arm for each move, then had her repeat the movements back until he was satisfied.</p><p>His chest was warm at her back, and his voice was low and warm in her ear. If she tipped her head, she could see his profile, with its fuzzy outline.</p><p>“Good enough for now,” he declared, satisfied that she wouldn't kill him. He led her into the hologym and commenced the program. Instantly the room transformed from a bare metal box to a high seas adventure, complete with a pirate ship in the middle of the room. Kitty shrieked when she realized the water pouring in to fill the bottom of the room was real.</p><p>Kurt had already leaped onto the ship, and he held out his hand over the side. “Jump,” he shouted, and she did. He caught her one-handed and hauled her up, surprising her with how easily he did so. He was much stronger than he appeared.</p><p>Kitty looked around the ship in awe, marveling at the details and realism of the program.</p><p>“Ready?” Kurt said, grinning like a child on Christmas morning who just received a Red Rider BB gun.</p><p>Kitty nodded, still recovering from the casual display of strength. Nick could never have done that.</p><p>Kurt was oblivious to her thoughts. “Good, because...” he lunged around her and stabbed at something. Kitty spun, and came face to face with the spitting image of Hector Barbossa from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. “...they're here.”</p><p>The pirate winked at her when she gasped. “Come to ask for <em>parlay</em> missy?” Kitty shrank back. It was so real, and how did a hologram know she was a girl? How could it even see her? She stumbled back, and was lifted off the deck of the ship by strong arms that were not Kurt's. She kicked the air wildly, and screamed.</p><p>Nightcrawler spared her a glance and called back, “Kick his knees with your heel and when he drops you, stab him!”</p><p>She did as he said, falling to the deck gracelessly instead of landing on her feet. The pirate stabbed her in the gut easily. “Well shit,” she said, and called to Kurt as she rubbed her hip. “I'm dead already!”</p><p>“A shame, really,” he said. “Program halt. Reset.” He strolled over as she got to her feet. “Try again?”</p><p>“Definitely. I had no idea they'd be so...real. Ours was nothing like this.”</p><p>“I forget how disarming it is the first time. Imagine fighting sentinels in one of these.”</p><p>“Why would you do that?”</p><p>He cocked his head at her. “So we can better fight them when we meet them, of course.”</p><p>“Sentinels...are real?”</p><p>“Unfortunately. I've fought them many times.”</p><p>“They told us they were fake. That Xavier made them up to get support.”</p><p>Kurt put a hand on her shoulder and said, “You were told many things that are not true. That you have found it in yourself to trust someone else after that is remarkable, and humbling.”</p><p>“It is?”</p><p>“Of course. It took—it takes some people much longer after they've been deceived so thoroughly.” He looked a little forlorn, Kitty thought, but after a second the smile crept back to his face. “Ready to start the game again?”</p><p>Kitty smiled back. “Let's go.”</p><p>He restarted it, and this time, Kitty looked for the pirate that had captured her. He wasn't where he'd been before, and in fact, neither was Barbossa. Kurt leaped over a canon and back-flipped onto a higher level of deck, where Davy Jones crawled over the side. A hand grabbed Kitty's arm, but this time, instead of panicking, she swung her sword around and got a hit on the villain's other arm. The hologram of Edward Teach yelped, and Kitty scrambled away.</p><p>They had to restart the game several more times that afternoon, but Kurt was good-natured about it and didn't seem at all bothered. By the time Kitty asked to stop, they were both sweating and tired. Kitty's arm felt like a lead weight, even though she'd been training at the Academy for months.</p><p>“We should start you with the exercise programs, too,” Kurt said. “Brian, Meggan, and Rogue never have to work out, but I do, and you as well. I've been running my programs alone for a long time. It would be nice to have company, if you're agreeable.”</p><p>Kitty was. Kurt shut the program down fully, and the room returned to its bare box form. Only a few puddles of water on the floor indicated that there had ever been an epic series of pirate battles inside. On the way out, Kurt grabbed two towels from a stack and handed her one.</p><p>“<em>Danke</em> for this,” he said. “It's been far too long since anyone was willing to bash pirate skulls with me.”</p><p>“Thanks for asking. It was fun. I'll do it again anytime. Well, anytime after my arm recovers. <em>Ouch</em>.”</p><p>He looked genuinely pleased. “Would you? I would enjoy that very much. I'll make a pirate queen of you yet.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Kitty went to her room to shower and change, her sword arm growing more and more achy as the evening went on. She took pain killers, but it was still sore. At dinner, Kurt noticed her trying to eat with her left hand.</p><p>“Too much in one day, I suppose,” he said, indicating her arm and giving her an apologetic grin.</p><p>“Yeah, it hurts.” She finagled a bite of spaghetti into her mouth.</p><p>Kurt fetched an ice pack for her and secured it with a strap of hook and loop he procured from a drawer. Moira came in then, and she stopped when she saw Kitty's arm on ice.</p><p>“Oh no. Kurt, you didn't drag her into one of your crazy pirate games?”</p><p>“I did. And I think she had a good time. Did you?” he asked Kitty.</p><p>“Yeah, it was a lot of fun, once I got used to the holograms.”</p><p>“You're in for it now. He's got about twenty programs in there, and that's not including the ones in New York for the Danger Room.”</p><p>Kitty giggled.</p><p>Kurt merely shrugged. “I like what I like. At least pirates are better than elves.”</p><p>Moira looked aghast. “Don't you make fun of my Lord of the Rings simulation! Legolas is quite the elf.”</p><p>“I wouldn't dare,” he said, winking at Kitty.</p><p>“I like Legolas, too,” Kitty said.</p><p>Moira nodded enthusiastically at her. “Och, that Orlando Bloom...he's the only one can do him justice.”</p><p>“Wait a minute, Moira, you said <em>my</em> impression of Legolas was the best you'd seen.”</p><p>Moira shrugged. “I lied.”</p><p>Rogue sat down with a plate of noodles beside Moira and Kurt. The rest of the team came in, including Amanda, who had been making herself scarce lately. Kurt looked like he wanted to leave, and Kitty thought it was awful that he should feel that way.</p><p>“I'd like to see your Legolas,” she said, hoping to stall him. Maybe if he had someone to talk to, he wouldn't be in such a hurry to run off every time Amanda walked in. She wondered why he'd allowed her to join the team when it obviously made him so uncomfortable. When he looked up at Kitty, he didn't look happy as she had expected, but irritated.</p><p>“Oh god, are you still doing that?” Amanda said, laughing. “I thought you quit those stupid games.”</p><p>Oh.</p><p>“What's wrong with them?” Kitty said. She looked at Amanda in utter seriousness, waiting for her response.</p><p>Amanda twirled her spaghetti, surprised at being called out. “It's childish.”</p><p>“No it isn't. It's fun. There's a difference. Childish is picking on people for liking something you don't. Fun is enjoying the things that make life worth living.”</p><p>The entire table was silent, and Kitty returned to her spaghetti without meeting any of their eyes.</p><p>“Sorry, Kurt,” Amanda said quietly.</p><p>“It's all right,” he said, sounding somewhat astonished. He couldn't take his eyes off the top of Kitty's head.</p><p>
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</p><p>After dinner, he pulled her aside. “Thank you.”</p><p>“What for?”</p><p>“For what you said at dinner. It was nice to have a friend.”</p><p>She curled a hand around her waist and looked at the kitchen counters, awaiting cleanup. “You're welcome.”</p><p>He followed her eyes to the messy kitchen. “Want help cleaning?”</p><p>While Kitty started loading the dishwasher, Kurt wiped the counters. “I saw the articles you printed.”</p><p>“I thought they might be helpful.”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, very much. I think the man is laying the groundwork for something. He's planting seeds of doubt in the general population.”</p><p>“That doesn't surprise me. I don't think anything does anymore.” She let her shoulders slump.</p><p>“Welcome to the X-Men,” he said, patting her back in congratulation. “Any idea what he might be up to?”</p><p>Kitty thought about it. He was obviously trying to make Excalibur look bad, but she didn't know why. “What can they gain from turning people against you?”</p><p>“I suppose casting us in a bad light makes them look better. Perhaps it takes the burden of suspicion off them?”</p><p>Kitty started the dishwasher, and Kurt walked out with her as she headed to the computer lab. He stopped inside the door. “I need to discuss a few things with Moira. It was nice to have your support today, Kätzchen. I'm glad you came to Excalibur, and I'm glad you stayed.”</p><p>She flushed and looked away, but he stepped closer and put his hand on her shoulder.</p><p>“I hope we'll always be here for one another.”</p><p>“Me, too.”</p><p>Kurt lingered in the doorway as if he had more to say to her, but when she gave him a quizzical look, he only smiled and left.</p><p>
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</p><p>A few days later, Kurt encouraged her to join him in the hologym again. It was a typical dreary Scottish day, a light misting rain falling, and the hologym would have blue skies and balmy breezes.</p><p>“Are you up for a pirate game today?”</p><p>She agreed, changed into a pair of the sweatpants Moira had bought her, and one of the oversized t-shirts, and met him at the gym doors.</p><p>“Is it the same one?” she asked as he pulled out the swords and handed one to her.</p><p>“<em>Nein</em>, it's different. This one is based on Captain Blood.”</p><p>“I've never seen that.”</p><p>“I'll have to rectify that later. For now, just play along.”</p><p>She wasn't as shocked by the holograms this time, but the pirates were different, and behaved differently, and Kurt had to defend her several times before she caught on to the pattern of the program. Once, a pirate tied her to the mast head, and Kurt had to cut her down and carry her to the deck.</p><p>“That was humiliating. I think I need a lot more training,” she said as he set her on her feet.</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, I agree. You're a fast learner, as you said, but I can see areas where Frost's training is lacking. I'll set up a schedule when we finish this game.”</p><p>Kitty was a sweaty mess when they finished, and when she came back downstairs after a shower and change, Kurt was on the phone in the living room. Usually they took calls in the comm suite, but Rahne told her this one had come through on Moira's private line.</p><p>Kurt hung up and cursed under his breath. “Where is Rogue?”</p><p>“Outside, I think,” Rahne said. Kurt went out to find her, still scowling.</p><p>The two came in together a few minutes later, both looking upset. “What's going on?” Rahne asked.</p><p>“We're heading to the States for a few days,” Kurt said. “Forge has something we need to deal with...it's complicated.”</p><p>Kitty didn't ask questions. She didn't have the right to ask any of them about their missions or private lives. No matter how much she settled in, her conscience wouldn't let her forget she was here because of Kurt's good graces. She wondered what would happen while he was gone.</p><p>He called the rest of the team together, Douglock, Moira, and Amanda. “Rogue and I are needed in the States for a few days, maybe as long as a week. Maybe longer, it's hard to say. With Brian and Meggan out of town, it's up to the five of you to handle any emergencies. Rahne, team up with Kitty. She's not familiar with our routines, so keep her up to speed, please. Moira, you're in charge.”</p><p>“Be careful,” Kitty said.</p><p>Kurt missed a beat before answering. “<em>Ja</em>, thank you, Kätzchen, I will.”</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Incidents</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The team was down to its supporting members. It made Kitty a little nervous knowing so many of them were gone, but hopefully nothing would go wrong while Kurt and the others were away. The very first morning, the alarms went off all over the building. Rahne grabbed Kitty, hauling her down to the Xavier Protocol room, where Moira was working feverishly.</p><p>“Intruders,” Moira said. She was trying to reinstate the locking mechanism on the heavy blast door, with no luck.</p><p>“We're gonna be breached,” she said. “Keep them away as long as you can. Kitty, help me here. We have to keep them out of this room.” Moira's voice held a panic Kitty hadn't heard from the woman before. She wondered if Moira knew Kurt had told her about the contents of the Protocol room.</p><p>Rahne, Amanda, and Douglock went up to fight the intruders, who appeared on screen while Kitty and Moira desperately tried to reseal the Protocol vault.</p><p>“I need more time, Moira,” Kitty said. She was sure she could do it, but not as fast as she needed to.</p><p>“Just keep at it, girl, and we'll do what we can.” Moira did something to the force field, and suddenly called the rest of the team back.</p><p>“Rahne and Douglock are down,” Amanda said when she returned via teleport disk. “The intruders are using them as human shields.”</p><p>“I can't get this, Moira,” Kitty said, frantically wiping hair out of her eyes.</p><p>“Forget it for now. I've got another idea.”</p><p>“Do you want Kitty and me to engage them?” Amanda said.</p><p>“No, stay here. If this works, we won't need to.”</p><p>When the intruders arrived outside the vault, they hesitated. From the monitor, the team heard them mumbling about a trap, then they hurled Rahne and Douglock into the vault room. Moira jabbed the force field button and the intruders were locked out.</p><p>Their leader aborted the mission and Excalibur was left to clean up a ruined station.</p><p>Moira looked pleased. “I thought I recognized their leader. I wonder what Dani's doing, working with people like that.”</p><p>Kitty knew a little about the MLF—Mutant Liberation Front. It was more of a gang than a group, and they worked for hire. Their name was intentionally misleading. They were very much <em>not</em> about liberating mutants. It took days to finish all the repairs. There was water damage, burned and broken pieces of wall and floor, holes everywhere. Kitty had never seen such a mess.</p><p>“This is nothing compared to the destruction the N'Garai demon wrought on the school,” Amanda said to Kitty as they worked in the hall, sweeping small bits and pieces after gathering up the larger hunks.</p><p>“What happened?” Kitty asked. Amanda told her about the demon attacking the school on Christmas Eve. She kept her eyes downcast and never smiled.</p><p>“I guess it was hard to see your school get destroyed.”</p><p>“Not <em>my</em> school, but yeah. We lost more than the building though.”</p><p>“Oh god, did someone die?” Kitty stopped sweeping to gape at Amanda.</p><p>“Not a person. A friendship.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>Silence hung between the two women for several minutes, Kitty thinking about the story as she knew it, and Amanda presumably doing the same.</p><p>“You know what happened, right? He must have told you.”</p><p>“I know a little. But it wasn't Kurt who told me.”</p><p>Amanda's voice was tight when she spoke again. “I didn't mean for it to happen. I didn't mean to fall in love with Piotr.”</p><p>Kitty didn't know it had happened on Christmas Eve. That made it worse, somehow, for Kurt.</p><p>“Piotr is just so...gentle and strong...We began to seek each other out, and almost by accident, we had fallen in love. We thought, foolishly, that if we indulged in just one moment of passion, it would be the end of it, but it wasn't. And Kurt found out. It destroyed everything. <em>We</em> destroyed everything”</p><p>“Well...” Kitty didn't know how to tell her she deserved it.</p><p>“I know. I deserved it. But I would do anything to make it right. To make it better.”</p><p>“You might not be able to.”</p><p>“I know. Thanks for listening, Kitty. And maybe...” She tossed a hunk of metal in a pile. “Oh, I don't know.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Well...Kurt seems to like you, and maybe he'd listen to you. Maybe you could put in a good word for me, if it ever comes up?”</p><p>“Sure, Amanda.”</p><p>“Thanks, Kitty. Thank you so much. He's the only brother I have left.”</p><p>The statement turned Kitty's stomach but she feigned nonchalance. She didn't feel sorry for Amanda, either, but she imagined it must have been hard on Kurt to lose both his friend and girlfriend in one lump like that.</p><p>“I can't promise anything.”</p><p>“I know.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Brian and Meggan returned first. No one had heard from Rogue or Kurt since they left, and Kitty tried not to worry. But she knew that her acceptance on the team was mainly based on <em>Kurt's</em> acceptance of her, and if anything happened to him, most likely she'd be dropped like the proverbial hot potato. She decided that if anything happened, she would go back to the States and try getting into the Xavier school. Maybe she could finish high school that way, and go to college. Or she could simply get her GED and then try for college. If she could get her transcripts from the Academy. She felt good having options at least. Her future didn't scare her anymore.</p><p>Her future without Kurt in it was beginning to. Worry lay at the back of her consciousness all day, that he would be hurt or killed, that she might never see him again. She hadn't known him that long, but it felt like much longer. As if that year apart hadn't been spent apart at all.</p><p>
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</p><p>Kitty was glad Brian and Meggan were back, especially when the tiny blue creatures showed up all over the station. They stole, wrecked things, pulled wiring out of the electronics, and wouldn't leave anyone alone. At first, the team tried to shoo them out, but Amanda discovered they were from an alternate dimension. She and Brian and Meggan set up a trap to send them back, but even once they were gone, nobody knew how they'd arrived in the first place. They reminded Kitty a lot of characters in a story she'd written in creative writing one year in middle school, but it wasn't possible for those creatures to be real.</p><p>They did a lot of damage in the two days they were running rampant. Kitty spent long hours repairing computers all over the building. Moira's lab was first, with Legacy Virus research taking precedence over nearly everything else. The comm suite was down for over a day and a half, and they missed the call from Rogue that she and Kurt were on their way back. Brian discovered the creatures had also sabotaged the Flit and Moira's jeep. He worked on those while Kitty dealt with computers. The rest of the team continued the basic cleanup from the earlier attack.</p><p>Moira went back and forth between muttering, “Mutant Liberation Front,” and “Bloody blue beasties,” as she inspected the damage to her lab from the two groups. Fortunately it was all superficial, most of the damage to the lab had been done by the blue critters, who seemed more interested in making mischief than causing real harm. The MLF had clearly come with an agenda. Kitty worked quickly in the lab and had most of Moira's computers up and running again within two days.</p><p>Kitty slid out from under a computer table and sat up, dusting off her hands. “That one's done.”</p><p>“Och, Kitty, thank you. I think that's everything in here.”</p><p>“Okay, just call me if you find anything else. I'm heading to comms.”</p><p>“Before you go,” Moira said, “We need to get that vault room sealed again. That's a priority.”</p><p>“I know, Moira.”</p><p>“What do you know about it?”</p><p>Kitty chewed her lip a minute. “I know what's in there. Protocols.”</p><p>Moira stayed very still and quiet before answering. “Then you know why we have to get that room sealed up.”</p><p>Kitty nodded in relief. “Yes. Now, or after comms?”</p><p>Moira paused to consider. “I suppose we need our communications up and running first.”</p><p>“What about the intercom, and computers?”</p><p>Moira groaned while she thought. “They're needed daily. I'll try to work on the Protocol room until you can join me.”</p><p>Rogue and Kurt returned while Kitty was repairing the computers in the lab. The low rumble of the <em>Midnight</em> <em>Runner</em> alerted her, and she felt a warm happiness fill her chest, knowing Kurt was home. That they were both home, she told herself.</p><p>She was sitting on the floor with computer parts around her when Kurt walked in. “There you are,” he said.</p><p>“Hey.” Her casual greeting hid the overwhelming relief and happiness at his return, but she couldn't seem to keep the smile off her face.</p><p>“I heard about the infestation,” he said, coming over to crouch beside her while she worked.</p><p>“Yeah, stupid little shitters wrecked up everything.”</p><p>He laughed. “I'm sorry. At least you haven't been bored, <em>ja</em>?”</p><p>Kitty huffed, and not bothering to suppress her smile. “How was your trip?”</p><p>His good mood evaporated instantly. “Not so good.”</p><p>“Are you okay?”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, the usual bumps and bruises. Nicely collapsed lung. Nothing serious.”</p><p>“A collapsed lung <em>isn't</em> serious?”</p><p>He chuckled. “I've been in a coma before.”</p><p>“Right. It still seems serious.”</p><p>“I was in the hospital for a few days. That's why we're so late getting back. And we picked up Piotr on our way. And then we stopped in London to meet with an associate of ours, Pete Wisdom.”</p><p>She wasn't interested in either Peter. “But you're okay now?” She asked again, wanting to be absolutely certain.</p><p>“Perfectly fine.” He dropped from his crouch to a cross-legged position.</p><p>She released a breath and her fingers twitched with wanting to reach across and touch him. She curled them around one of her electronics. “I'm glad. I'm glad you're back.”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, it's good to be home.”</p><p>Kitty continued working for a while, fighting the distraction of Kurt's presence, until his silence made it impossible. “What's up?”</p><p>“Not a thing.”</p><p>“You've been watching me splice wires together for ten minutes, but nothing is going on?”</p><p>“They apprehended Onslaught.”</p><p>She dropped her tools with a clank. “Oh, hell, <em>really</em>? Was it...was he really your professor?”</p><p>“Seems like it. He's in Federal custody now.”</p><p>“I'm sorry,” she said, and she gave in to the desire to touch him, patting his knee.</p><p>He pulled his feet in and scooted closer to Kitty, leaning conspiratorially towards her face. His knee touched hers, he was so close, and she could see the swirls of yellow shades in his eyes. She hadn't realized there was such depth to them. She had to stop herself from staring.</p><p>“Do you know who Mystique is?” he said.</p><p>“Yeah. Well, I don't know how much of it is actually <em>true</em>, but they told us she's some kind of mutant terrorist. She's a shapeshifter assassin for hire, worked with Magneto for a while, impersonated a senator. That kind of thing.”</p><p>He took a deep breath and said, “I just learned she's my mother.”</p><p>Kitty clapped a hand to her mouth. “Shit.”</p><p>“That's what I said.”</p><p>“Is that what you had to go to the States for?”</p><p>“<em>Ja und nein</em>. Forge said he needed us specifically, but I think he already suspected. She is also Rogue's adoptive mother.”</p><p>“So you two are almost like brother and sister. That's cool.”</p><p>“Yes, but I have some other relatives I'd rather not. A half brother with Sabretooth, for one.”</p><p>“Oh, god, he's not <em>your</em> dad, is he?”</p><p>“No, and she refused to talk about mine. Considering she <em>did</em> tell me about Sabretooth, that worries me.”</p><p>Kitty wondered why he wasn't telling Moira all of this instead. “I'm sure it's not as bad as you think. And, you're still the same person, no matter who your parents are.”</p><p>He tipped forward until his head touched hers. Kitty accepted the affection and tentatively reached for his hand. He took it, squeezing firmly, then leaned in to hug her. It felt good to hold him, to wrap her arms tight around someone else and just hold on. She could feel his breath in her hair and against her neck, and his tail had curled around both of them, making a little circle.</p><p>“Take a break from this?” he said as he sat up straight again.</p><p>She wanted to, but there were too many priorities. “I don't think I can. I still have all these computers, all the intercoms, a bunch of stuff in the hangar, and I don't even know what they did to some of those other rooms Moira's got set up. And then I'm supposed to help her get the Protocol room sealed up.” Kitty swallowed quickly. “She knows I know about it.”</p><p>Kurt shrugged. “As it should be. Did she yell at you?”</p><p>Kitty shook her head. “No.”</p><p>Kurt looked around at the computers and mess strewn about the room. “Can I help?”</p><p>“I thought you didn't know computers.”</p><p>“I don't, not like you do. But I've some familiarity with electronics. Moira and I used to handle all the tech stuff before you joined us.”</p><p>“Okay,” she said. “Sure. The intercoms are pretty straightforward.”</p><p>“Show me?”</p><p>She pushed the computer guts off her lap and showed him the repair she'd made on the intercom unit in the lab, and then went over it on the next one. When she sat back down in the lab, she had to take a minute to gather her thoughts and focus on the repairs again.</p><p>Kurt didn't know why he wanted to tell Kitty his newfound family history. Of everyone on his team, she was probably the least likely to understand. And yet, he felt comforted having told her. He wanted to tell her so many things, to unburden himself of all the troubles he carried around with him every day. If he wasn't careful, he'd find himself pouring out all his secrets to her. Funny that thought didn't bother him at all.</p><p>
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</p><p>Elsewhere...</p><p>“Yes, the connection with her is strong enough,” Frost said.</p><p>“Good. You can control her?”</p><p>“Not completely. But enough.”</p><p>“I <em>want</em> those Protocols.”</p><p>Another voice interrupted. “And <em>we</em> want Excalibur dead.”</p><p>Shaw growled at the intruder. “That will be arranged in good time.”</p><p>“We'll take care of it ourselves.”</p><p>“Unlikely, but you're welcome to try, as soon as we have what we want.”</p><p>“You doubt us?”</p><p>“We saw your work in Genosha. A ridiculous failure. Inexcusable.”</p><p>“You've failed, too, Shaw. Don't forget that. You let her escape and you've failed to get her back. Don't lecture us on our failures.”</p><p>The two drew up, and Frost stepped over. “Now, let's stop this useless bickering. We're on the same side. After we get Cerebro and the Protocols, you and your Black Air agents can have Excalibur's hides.”</p><p>“Let us kill them now.”</p><p>“We can't. Without them, we can't get into the Protocol Room. And we need Pryde for Cerebro.”</p>
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<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Shop From Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter has been edited, finally, to reflect a more in-character and less traumatic conversation between Kurt and Kitty near the end.  Thanks to MHammerman for pointing out, in the nicest possible way, that it was kind of excessive to list it all out.  It's been edited in the original story as well.  :-)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>That night Kitty found herself lying awake thinking about Kurt's newly discovered family, and wondering again why he would come to <em>her</em>, out of all his teammates, to talk about what was obviously a touchy subject. Admitting one's mother was an international terrorist and murderess couldn't be easy. Kitty had a hard enough time admitting her father had been embezzling money from his bank.</p><p>By midnight, she was tired of lying awake, and got up to watch something on TV until her brain would shut off and let her sleep. Maybe there was a home shopping channel she could turn on. That would be mindless and might put her to sleep.</p><p>She flipped through the channels until she found just that—every cable company in the world must have an at-home shopping channel. She giggled to herself as the woman on the screen went on about a spatula that was just the <em>best thing</em> she'd ever seen in her entire life. She laughed as the woman droned on, then picked up a ladle and began praising it, too.</p><p>“What is so funny?”</p><p>She looked up to find Kurt standing at the end of the hallway in his pajamas. Kitty tucked her feet up on the couch and waved at the woman on the television.</p><p>“Listen to this woman,” she said. “You'd think that thing was made of gold or something.”</p><p>A smile twitched at his lips. “Can't sleep?”</p><p>“Nah. Too much thinking. What about you?”</p><p>“I haven't been sleeping much lately. I heard you laughing and thought I'd join you. Do you mind?”</p><p>“Not at all. Did I wake you?”</p><p>He shook his head. “I was awake.” He wandered over and dropped onto the couch beside her. “Our team was already under some stress, and with this new information...It's a lot to handle, and frankly...”</p><p>Kitty chewed her lip, ignoring the program now. She felt cozy and comfortable next to Kurt like this, in their pajamas on the couch in the middle of the night. She hadn't expected anyone to be up to keep her company. He put his arm around her shoulders and she relaxed against him, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as if they sat like that all the time.</p><p>“How are you doing?” Kurt asked, changing the subject and staring at the television to avoid looking at Kitty in her pajamas. The woman on-screen had moved to describing the spaghetti scoop in intricate detail.</p><p>“Me?” He was the one who'd just gotten a dump truck full of bad news. “I'm fine.”</p><p>“You're settling in well? You feel comfortable here?” With his arm around her, yes. She was very comfortable.</p><p>“Yeah, actually, I am.”</p><p>“I know it's hard. You must question whether or not you belong with us.”</p><p>She lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him. “How...how did you know that?”</p><p>“I remember when Rogue joined the X-Men. She went through the same thing.”</p><p>“You said she used to work for Magneto, right?”</p><p>He propped his long feet on the edge of the coffee table and folded his arms. The motion tugged at the fabric of his shirt, and caused it to gape more at the neck than it already was. Kitty caught a glimpse of that toned muscle under sleek fuzz. She wanted to touch it, to feel that strength under her fingers, scratch her nails through the soft fuzz. She held her hands still, closed fists in her lap.</p><p>Kurt answered her question. “Yes, she did. But she is now a highly valued member of Excalibur, and before that, the X-Men.”</p><p>“Yeah, but I delivered a <em>bomb</em>.”</p><p>“You didn't know about it, Kätzchen.” So he <em>had</em> believed her all that time. She hadn't realized how important it was to know that until he said it.</p><p>“No, but I <em>did</em> know I was coming here to tell lies and spy on you. And I knew what I was doing in New York.”</p><p>“You believed you were doing the right thing. You didn't intend to hurt anyone, but rather to help. Am I correct?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“As soon as Moira received that letter, we suspected. We invited you anyway, to see who we were up against.”</p><p>“You knew all along?”</p><p>“It was more of an educated guess.”</p><p>Kitty felt like every day was a new revelation about something she'd once held true. Sometimes she wondered if anything in her life had ever really happened at all.</p><p>Kurt continued, oblivious to her internal distress. “The X-Men have done the same sorts of things as well. Have you heard of Mr. Sinister? Never mind, that's a story for another night. My point is, you were acting on the belief that what you were doing was helping protect people.”</p><p>“Yeah.” She tugged her knees up tighter to her chest, and they bumped against his thigh. He patted her knee.</p><p>“What do you believe now?”</p><p>She ran a hand over her face, shielding her eyes a moment while she thought. But it wasn't hard to answer after all.</p><p>“I believe <em>you,</em>” she said as she dropped her hand back in her lap and tilted her chin to see his reaction.</p><p>He smiled. She was struck by how handsome he was, and her heart did a little skipping beat.</p><p>“Thank you,” he said, and his hand rubbed her shoulder. “And what about Frost?”</p><p>She was so warm and content leaning against him, his hand on her shoulder rubbing circles, the other on her knee. She wished he'd move it up her leg a little. She settled a little deeper into his arms and laid her hand flat on his chest beneath her cheek. “Almost everything she said was a lie.”</p><p>“Almost?” She could hear his smile in his voice, and she lifted her eyes to see one corner of his mouth curving up just enough to reveal the fangs. She wondered what happened if he bit his lip. <em>Ouch</em>.</p><p>“I think...” She swallowed nervously, hoping he wouldn't hate her for what she was about to say, “I think she had some good points about Xavier. Based on what you found here, I don't like him. I know he's important to you, but I can't appreciate a man who calls himself a teacher and then makes outlines for how to kill his students.”</p><p>Kurt sighed, but his cheek brushed the top of her head affectionately. “I admit, I don't understand that. Still, he saved my life, and I will always be in his debt for that.”</p><p>“That actually makes it worse to me. He saved you, gave you a home and a life and a family, and all the while he was writing down instructions on exactly how to kill you.”</p><p>Kurt cleared his throat. “It certainly isn't easy to understand.”</p><p>“Is that why you can't sleep?”</p><p>“No. I was thinking about you, actually.”</p><p>“Me?” Her heart made another little skipping beat.</p><p>“Mm, <em>ja</em>, about how much your life has changed in such a short time.”</p><p>“Why do you trust me?” she said, striking at a worry that nagged her daily, refusing to leave her alone. “You sit here with me like I'm part of your team and you're so sure I'm <em>not</em> a traitor. I haven't done anything to deserve your trust.”</p><p>His expression went soft, and Kitty felt the blush rising again. “You didn't have to come back for me that day on the ferry. If you had sincerely intended to do us harm, or kill us, you would have let me drown. You knew if you went back, Moira and Rogue and I might hold you again. You knew you were putting yourself at risk with your superiors at the time as well. That tells me you're a good person at heart.”</p><p>Kitty blushed and stared at the window beside the television.</p><p>Kurt leaned back on the couch with a yawn. He settled his head on the arm of the couch, tucking a pillow behind his head. Kitty was left sitting up, unsure if she should move to a chair. He held out his arm in a welcoming gesture, and she quickly stretched out beside him again, sandwiched between the soft cushions of the couch and Kurt's body.</p><p>“The day we clashed at the Black Air facility, you didn't want to fight, you wanted to do the job you were sent to do. We didn't let you, but you still didn't want to fight. You put yourself at risk to end the fighting. That tells me you genuinely want to work for peace. You don't act like a Hellfire employee. You act like a young woman who was lied to and used. And that,” he concluded, “makes you someone I can very much relate to.”</p><p>“I...” She didn't know what to say so she looked over his chest at the shopping lady on television again. She was fawning over a stash of plastic bowls now. The best bowls she'd ever seen in the history of bowls.</p><p>“It isn't the same as your situation, I know, but I understand how it feels to be lied to.”</p><p>Kitty turned her head slowly. He said it like a confession.</p><p>“I told you I grew up in the Romani circus and then spent some time in an American circus, which was, without going into details, a bad experience.”</p><p>Kitty remembered and nodded along.</p><p>“When I took that job, I left my family behind for the promise of an even better life.  More performances, a salary, a home. I thought America would be a land of opportunities, even for one who looked as I do. It was nothing like that. The circus owner had spun a web of lies to me and my family. He told me I would be the star of the aerial show. It wasn't at all true."  He crossed his arms and seemed to consider his next words while Kitty waited.  "I wasn't able to leave for quite a while, but I've been more cautious ever since."</p><p>"I'm sorry that happened," Kitty said.</p><p>"When the professor rescued me, it was difficult to put my trust in him, but I was in rather dire straits at the time."  He sighed.  "I gave him a chance and put my trust in him.  Until now, I've never had cause to doubt him."</p><p>As much as she still disliked Xavier, she felt awful for Kurt.  To trust again, and have that trust shattered years later must have been heartbreaking. She didn't know if he would let her, but she reached for Kurt's hand with both of hers, holding it like she could somehow protect him from his own past.</p><p>“You deserve better.” His face had gone tense, but when he looked at her, he relaxed and reached up to brush a strand of hair off her cheek.</p><p>“As do you.”</p><p>He held out his arm, and she hugged him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.  It felt good to comfort him and be comforted too. It was friendship, she realized, something she thought she might not have again.</p><p>She sniffed, and then laughed a little at herself as she let go of his neck and grasped his hand again. “I'm sorry,” she said. “You probably think I'm so selfish for being upset about my life...after everything <em>you</em> went through.”</p><p>“Not at all. My situation doesn't make your pain any less valid.”</p><p>She stared at him, at his hand in hers. “I'm so glad we're friends.”</p><p>“I am too.”</p><p>“Aren't you friends with the others?”</p><p>“Of course. Why do you ask?”</p><p>“I don't know...the way you talk about being friends makes me think...maybe you weren't very close to anyone else.”</p><p>He hesitated. “Before Excalibur, my best friends were Wolverine and Storm and Piotr, until...I loved them all. All the X-Men. I grieved them for a year before we learned they weren't dead at all. They simply hadn't bothered to tell us. That kind of betrayal changes people. We are still friends. I forgive them, and I understand, on one hand, why they did it. On the other...it feels a lot like betrayal.”</p><p>“And now you're here, and they're there.”</p><p>“Exactly.”</p><p>She let it go then, deciding they'd covered enough ground in one night, and she didn't seem to have much to contribute to these heartfelt discussions. She promised herself that next time, she'd find something to share, so he'd know she trusted him, too. Kitty laid her head down again, her arm still around his waist. Kurt reached for the remote with his tail as he put his arm around her and tucked her up closer.</p><p>“There has to be something better than this shopping channel.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Kitty woke up when something shifted beneath her cheek. She cracked one eye in time to see Kurt's hand reach out to the table to click off the television. He sighed and settled onto his back, one arm over Kitty's waist. She should get up and go to her room, but he was so warm and she felt completely at ease with her head resting in the dip of his shoulder. She closed her eyes and drifted off again.</p><p>When Kurt woke to find Kitty sprawled across him asleep, he knew he should wake her up. But she was so cozy and warm, one hand curving softly over his chest as she slept, that he simply couldn't stand the idea of moving. Instead he reached over and turned off the television, circled his hand around to her back, and went to sleep. She was gone by morning.</p>
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<a name="section0017"><h2>17. The Logic Trap</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Kitty, you have mail,” Moira called on the intercom.</p><p>It was a large box, and Kitty didn't bother taking it to her room. She knew exactly what was in it and excitedly ripped into the box. She and Kurt had talked about getting her a new uniform so she could stop wearing the one from Frost's team. They'd spent over an hour on the computer one evening discussing what it should look like. And here it was. If she liked it, she'd get a few spares, but for now, even one was better than her old one.</p><p>She lifted it out of the box, a one-piece zip-up. Still all black, but with purple details and the Excalibur X of swords insignia on the belt. Kitty fingered the metal insignia, still processing that this was hers.</p><p>“That's right nice,” Moira said, admiring the new uniform as Kitty held it up, beaming. “Go try it on.”</p><p>Kitty dashed off to her room in such a hurry she left the boots behind. Moira started up with them.</p><p>“What's this?” Kurt said, passing her in the hall and eyeing the boots.</p><p>“Kitty left her boots—her new uniform arrived.”</p><p>Above them, Kitty poked her head through the ceiling. “Oh, there they are. Thanks Moira,” she said, as Moira handed them up to her. “Be down in a sec.”</p><p>She disappeared again, and Kurt waited with Moira to see the end result. Kitty came down the stairs with eyes alight and a pink-cheeked grin on her face. Kurt was mesmerized by the happiness emanating from her. Then she caught his eyes and held her arms wide.</p><p>“Look at me,” she said, “I'm really part of your team now.”</p><p>Kurt admired the black and purple uniform, nodding his approval. He knelt dramatically, arms wide. “Magnificent!”</p><p>“You really think so, Kurt?” she said, blushing pinker as Moira fussed with this and that. Ultimately she declared Kitty looked perfect in it.</p><p>“You didn't need a uniform to be on the team, Kätzchen,” Kurt said, on his feet again, “But it does suit you better than the Hellfire one.”</p><p>He couldn't stop smiling at how thrilled she seemed. She looked gorgeous in it, and happy, and proud. Kurt had spent years around female teammates and enemies whose uniforms left little to the imagination, but Kitty in this was making his mind turn in directions that were decidedly not team-related.</p><p>“Thanks for helping me,” she said to Kurt, and threw her arms around him. He swept her up in his arms in a warm hug, then released her to admire the new uniform again before she hurried back upstairs.</p><p>
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</p><p>The rest of the day, Kitty was ecstatic. She felt she belonged at last, as if the uniform made it all real. She felt a part of the team now more than ever, and far more than she'd ever felt when she'd briefly led the Massachusetts Academy team. She hung her official Excalibur uniform proudly on the back of her wardrobe door where she could see it. Kurt promised to order several more now that they knew it would work for her. The next morning when she woke up, it was the first thing she looked at. She grinned, not caring how silly she was, but when she passed the window, her smile evaporated.</p><p>She ran to the window, heart hammering in her chest in panic, as she looked out on a world that was not Muir Island. It looked like a small, European town, with cobblestone streets and stone houses. She imagined it looked like Winzeldorf or some other quaint little town, untouched by modern conveniences. Whatever it was, she'd never seen it before, and she shouldn't be here. How did she get here? Was this a dream? Was Excalibur? The thought sent her into a panic, and she whirled, scanning the room rapidly. There was her new uniform, exactly where she'd left it last night, and her boots, where they'd fallen over beneath it. There was her hair brush and the coat she'd thrown over the metal desk chair. Even the paper she'd wadded up and tossed at the trash can, missing, still lay on the floor beside it. She closed her eyes and checked the view from the window once more, just in case she had dreamed it, but no. The unfamiliar landscape was still there.</p><p>She didn't know if she was dreaming, or hallucinating, or what had happened. Her heart raced in fear, but she had to calm down. She had to <em>think</em>. She decided to see if anyone else was here, or if she was alone. Outside her room, the hallway was all wrong, an endless corridor of doors on either side, like looking in a double reflection of mirrors. She stepped across the hall to what she hoped was Rogue's room, the closest to hers, and knocked loudly because of the trembling in her hand. Rogue's voice called out from inside, and Kitty felt the heaviness of relief slide into her veins.</p><p>“Rogue, what's going on—” Kitty stopped. This wasn't Rogue. She was, but she wasn't. She was old, her hair solid white now, a sinister and predatory expression on her wrinkled face. She was sharpening a knife on a whetstone slowly and deliberately. She stopped when she saw Kitty, brandishing the knife to inspect it before speaking.</p><p>“Why, nothing's going on, Kitty. Why don't you join me for a while?” Rogue returned the knife to the whetstone, sliding it back and forth. Her eyes never left Kitty's as she backed into the hall.</p><p>“I, uh, I can't right now, Rogue, I'm sorry,” Kitty stammered, stumbling terrified back to her room as the strange not-Rogue slowly rose from her seat. Kitty slammed the door, her back to it, terrified, and turned the lock. It wouldn't stop someone who wanted in, but it might buy her an extra second or two.</p><p>“Oh god, oh god, oh god,” she repeated. Her eyes lit upon her uniform again, and she pulled it on hastily. “Get it together,” she told herself aloud. “You're part of Excalibur now. You have to stop panicking and think.”</p><p>Footsteps rushed down the hall, stopping in front of her door. She spun to face it, looking for something to brandish as a weapon. Someone turned the knob, jiggling it in frustration. Finding nothing weapon-worthy, Kitty moved away from the door, ready to phase through the walls and take her chances on the street. If Rogue—or whoever she was—was coming after her, Kitty wasn't going to stick around to be gutted. She kept her back pressed against the wall, eyes never leaving the door. A voice called to her, and then the door slammed open with a crack, the lock breaking with ease and the door frame splintering.</p><p>Kurt had kicked the door in and now strode into the center of the room, sword in hand, eyes darting about the space. He found Kitty, staring at him in fear beside the window.</p><p>“Have you left this room?” he demanded.</p><p>“I—” she pointed toward Rogue's room. “I went to see if anyone was here, but that's all. There's something wrong with her.” She kept her eyes on his sword arm.</p><p>He lowered the sword and scratched his head. “You just tried to kill me,” he said, replacing the sword in its sheath. “Or a version of you. Is it really you, Kitty?”</p><p>She nodded, too afraid even to speak the answer.</p><p>“<em>Danke Gott</em>,” he said, looking around.</p><p>“Kurt?” she whispered.</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>. It's me. I'm sorry I scared you. It's all right now.” He held one arm out and met her halfway as they both crossed the space.</p><p>It was him, she was sure. He smelled the same, and his arms around her were the same, and his voice in her ear, soothing and gentle, was the same. She heaved, deep, filling breaths as she succumbed to the fear for a moment. Then she stood up, shaking herself mentally, and determined to be brave.</p><p>“What's going on?”</p><p>“I don't know, but it looks as though we've been pulled into another dimension.” He sighed. “Again.”</p><p>They went to the window and looked out together, his arm draped protectively around her shoulders. “You weren't here for it, but I've been to rather a lot of other realms. This is actually quite common for Excalibur.” He scratched his chin. “Except Widget isn't around anymore.”</p><p>“Widget?”</p><p>“Have I not told you? Huh. Long story, for another time. Look at this,” he said and her gaze tracked across the streets, noticing the same thing he was. Hundreds of people had come outside, but they were all variations on Kurt, or Kitty, or Rogue. Every single one of them.</p><p>“Looks like you're missing your morning walk, Kätzchen,” he said, giving her a playful nudge.</p><p>Kitty's shaky nerves began to calm. <em>Everything will be okay</em>. “Yeah, well you're late for sword fighting practice.”</p><p>He chuckled and patted her shoulder. “If I hadn't lived the life I have, I might go mad just now.” He glanced at her. “Are you okay?”</p><p>“Yes. No. I'm...I'll be all right. It was a shock, but I feel better now that you're here.”</p><p>He let his hand drop, seeking hers for a tight squeeze. “Judging by who I see, I suppose our Rogue must be around somewhere, too.”</p><p>“She was in the room across the hall. Some old, evil version of her. She was sharpening a knife, I thought she was gonna kill me.”</p><p>They turned away from the window and started for the door, still hand in hand. Kitty had no intention of letting him go unless she had to. She was too afraid of being lost, left behind, forever wandering this unknown dimension alone, or finding her way home without them.</p><p>“I suppose we should see if we can find her,” Kurt said. “Maybe together we can figure out where we are and what's happened.”</p><p>Something smashed into the building as he finished speaking, shaking its very foundations. Kitty jumped against Kurt's shoulder and he grabbed her. The building wobbled and swayed beneath their feet as the sounds of smashing wood came from below. Kurt teleported them to the street as the building began to collapse, starting on one side in a spectacular cascade. Two Rogues flew out through the roof, locked in struggle. One was pummeling the other, shouting and demanding to know where her friends were.</p><p>“Rogue!” Kurt called out to her as loudly as he could to be heard over the fight. “Stop killing that woman and come down here!”</p><p>She hesitated, glanced down at Kurt and Kitty standing on the street below. She gave the other Rogue one last punch, sending her flying through the debris, then flew down in front of them.</p><p>“Is it really you guys?” she said, fists still at the ready.</p><p>“It's us,” Kurt replied. “Any idea what's going on?”</p><p>“None. Ah woke up and couldn't find anyone.” She tipped her head down to Kitty, who was doing her best to remain brave in front of Rogue. Her tight grip on his hand and her proximity to him gave her away. Rogue decided not to remark on it. “This a first for you, Kitty?”</p><p>Kitty nodded.</p><p>“Well, better get used to it. Happens t'Excalibur all the time. Remember that vampire world, Kurt?”</p><p>“As if I could forget.”</p><p>Kitty forced herself to look around and think. To really be part of this team, she had to pull her weight, not just put on a costume. She tried to think back to her classes at the academy. She knew there were many other dimensions and alternate realities, but determining which it was, and how to get home wasn't something they'd covered. Where could they be? The other copies of themselves took no notice of the building's destruction, going about their lives as if nothing had happened. Kitty watched them curiously while Kurt and Rogue lamented being stuck in another dimension again.</p><p>“Maybe we should walk around. Maybe there's a clue or something.” Kitty said.</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, that's how we did it before,” Kurt said. “Land in a new world, wander around and see if it was ours. Get back on the train if it wasn't.” He chuckled at Rogue's expression. “That's a rather simplified version of events, Kätzchen,” he said.</p><p>They headed down the cobblestone street and out into the open space. None of the people—infinite versions of themselves—paid any attention to them. As Kitty began to relax a little, she noticed that all of the doppelgangers seemed complacent and content with the situation.</p><p>“Weird how they don't seem to care about being stuck here,” she muttered.</p><p>Kurt glanced at her, then studied the doppelgangers as she just had. “<em>Ja</em>, it is strange, now that you mention it. No version of myself or Rogue that we encountered would have simply accepted a change like this. <em>We</em> certainly aren't.”</p><p>They passed graffiti, “Katie loves Father Wagner” and “Anna can't touch this.” They passed an alley where drunken versions of themselves reclined in piles of trash, and another where they appeared to be members of a strict religious organization, and yet another where Kitty's role was a dominatrix.</p><p>“Maybe they aren't us from other realities,” Kitty said, looking away. “Maybe they're just fake.”</p><p>“Like holograms?” Rogue said.</p><p>“I don't know. Maybe? Kurt uses that solid light stuff in the gym...”</p><p>“I don't think these are holograms, Kätzchen, but I also agree they don't seem to be genuine versions of ourselves.”</p><p>“It's kind of like they all lived here from the start,” Kitty said. “Let's ask some questions. Where they came from, where we are.”</p><p>Rogue scoffed, but Kurt agreed it was worth a try. Each person they asked gave them the same basic answers: none of it mattered, they were here and here they'd stay. A few were hostile, most were complacent to the point of apathy.</p><p>The three sat down to rest and think after asking numerous doppelgangers the same questions and getting the same basic answers. Rogue was frustrated, pacing angrily back and forth in front of Kurt and Kitty, who were sitting on the steps of a building. Kitty chewed her lip in thought, her hip pressed comfortingly against Kurt's.</p><p>“Ah don't get it. None of these idiots even care where they are.” Rogue crossed her arms again.</p><p>“But I do,” Kitty said. “<em>We</em> do.”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>. It doesn't make sense.”</p><p>A spark of an idea came to Kitty and she stood up, looking around again. “Yeah...it doesn't make sense. There's no <em>logic</em> to it. Do you know what a logic trap is? I think this is one.”</p><p>“A what?” Rogue said.</p><p>“A logic trap,” Kitty repeated, coming full circle to face them again. “Like a puzzle or a riddle, sort of. We solve it, and get a reward. Maybe we get to go home if we solve it.”</p><p>“But what's the trap?” Rogue asked.</p><p>“<em>This</em> is. We're in it. We have to logic out the solution. All these people, their attitudes...that's our first clue.”</p><p>Kurt beamed up at her and hopped to his feet. “I believe you may be on to something. What should we do next?”</p><p>“Let's talk to some more people. Here's a shop.” It was run by a version of Kitty who seemed older and pleasant. Her soft, round face spoke of an easy life.</p><p>“Excuse me,” Kitty said, and the alternate looked up with a pleasant smile. “I'd like to buy a map of this place.”</p><p>The woman shuffled around behind the counter and pulled out a rolled paper. “Here you go, dear.”</p><p>“How much?” Kurt asked.</p><p>“Oh, we don't use money here.”</p><p>Kitty glanced from the saleswoman to Kurt, then unrolled the map on her counter. It was a series of concentric circles, and nothing else on the paper. He leaned over her shoulder, his hand on her back, warmth seeping through her new uniform.</p><p>“That looks like the nine circles of hell,” Kurt said quietly, moving slightly away from the map. He looked around the shop warily, as if seeing it for the first time.</p><p>Kitty asked the woman for a more detailed map, but when she produced it, it was blank. Kitty wracked her brain for answers, torn between solving the riddle of where they were and wondering what had made Kurt so anxious. She looked back at the woman behind the counter and thought aloud.</p><p>“You know, you and I look alike but we really <em>aren't</em> alike, are we? Why is that? This map and the other, they're nothing alike either. One has circles and the other doesn't have anything.” Kitty glanced at the woman again. “I'm not really like any of the versions of me that are here, now that I think about it. They're all me, but...kind of worse versions of me.”</p><p>The woman was grinning now. Kitty continued thinking aloud. “You aren't like me because... I could never settle for a life like this.”</p><p>Kurt moved back to her side, still looking nervous but now curious as well.</p><p>“Is that so?” The woman said.</p><p>Kitty felt like she was close to something. “All of you...you're all versions of me that gave in to something about me...something I don't want to be...selfish or scared or sheltered.”</p><p>The woman vanished. No smoke, no puff of sound, just gone. Kurt leaned over the counter, incredulous.</p><p>“Where'd she go?” Rogue asked rhetorically.</p><p>“I think we have to figure out how we're different from these other versions of ourselves. I think that might be the logic—” she was cut off by something breaking down the back wall of the shop. A crowd of angry Rogues screaming hatefully at them.</p><p>Kitty phased out of the shop, meeting up with Kurt in the street when he reappeared beside her. The Rogues barreled out of the crumbling shop, forcing Kitty and Kurt to leap aside to avoid being pummeled. Their Rogue looked furious.</p><p>“What's different?” Kitty called to her.</p><p>Rogue paused, smiled, and began to list off the things about her that were unique and unlike these false, angry copies. “I know what it means to love,” Rogue said, and in that instant, the others vanished.</p><p>The three cheered, but their excitement was short lived. Advancing up the street was the group of previously practice-sword-fighting Kurts, looking rather intent on killing.</p><p>“One more time,” Kitty said, patting Kurt's shoulder with both hands as she stood behind his crouching form. “Come on, Kurt, hurry up and figure out your differences so we can get out of here.”</p><p>“I...I'm not sure...<em>Mein Gott</em>, they all look so murderous. I can't be that angry...” he twisted around to glance at Kitty. “Am I?”</p><p>“Are you?” she replied.</p><p>“There have been many things lately that angered me...the X-Men's betrayal, Douglock's abduction, Black Air, the Devil in London, so many lies...”</p><p>“But you weren't angry at me,” she said.</p><p>He smiled at her. “No, I wasn't. In fact, I'm extremely happy that you're here.” He put an arm around her and hugged her as the doppelgangers applauded and disappeared.</p><p>Everything around them went blank.</p><p>“Now what?” Rogue said. All three huddled close.</p><p>“I thought that would do it. Maybe there's more?” Kitty said, panic edging into her voice again.</p><p>“Were we supposed to figure out where we were? The nine circles of hell, Dante's Inferno?” Kurt said, and he sounded nervous again. She'd have to ask him later.</p><p>Nothing changed. “Guess not,” Kitty said. “Maybe it's <em>who</em>? Who would have done this to us?”</p><p>“Margali?” Kurt suggested.</p><p>“We don't even know where she is, Kurt,” Rogue said. “Seems like someone more powerful.”</p><p>“Some kind of sorcerer?” Kitty said. She tried to think of powerful villains she'd read about at the Academy. Who was powerful enough to do this? “Who sent you to the other dimensions before?”</p><p>“No one,” Kurt replied, “It was an accident. But Roma helped us return. Perhaps this is Merlyn's doing?”</p><p>Nothing changed. Kitty's fear returned and she gripped Kurt's hand tighter. “Are we going to be stuck here in this limbo forever?” she whispered.</p><p>“Limbo?” His eyes widened. “Of course! Belasco!”</p><p>Kitty had heard of him. The demon lord of Limbo. Of course. “Yes! A test of some kind maybe?”</p><p>Within the span of a single eye blink, they were standing in the living room of the research center. Kitty stepped back, disoriented for a moment as the rest of the team jumped up in shock and ran to meet them. Everyone was caught up in celebratory hugs, even Kitty.</p><p>“Where were you all?” Meggan demanded, hugging Kurt and wiping her eyes. “We couldn't find you anywhere!”</p><p>After another round of hugs and reassurances, Kurt explained. “It seems we were being tested by Belasco for some reason. We three woke up in another world, and had to solve a riddle of sorts to escape.”</p><p>Brian clapped Kurt's shoulder. “I'm glad you were able to figure it out.”</p><p>“Actually,” Rogue said, “It was mostly Kitty who solved it.”</p><p>Kitty had moved out of the circle of teammates to sit on the couch, letting her fear finish running its course. Her shoulders shook as she leaned on her knees, hoping not to pass out in front of the team. She lifted her head slightly to look at Rogue, surprised to hear praise coming from her.</p><p>“Thanks,” Kitty said.</p><p>Across the room, she met Kurt's eyes, questioning silently if she was all right. She nodded, and after a moment, he returned to answering more of Brian's questions.</p><p>
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</p><p>It was late on Muir, the whole day lost to their little test. After a meal and more conversation, they retreated to their own spaces for the night. Kitty stood in her doorway. For the first time, her new room seemed menacing. Everyone else was in bed for the night, all the doors shut. Light shone from beneath a few doors, and she considered knocking on one. <em>Buck up. You're safe now</em>. She opened her door as far as it would go and stepped inside, leaving it open. As she picked up her pajamas and turned, she spotted her new uniform on the back of the wardrobe. The uniform she was also wearing.</p><p>She bolted from the room and down the hall to Kurt's room, not caring in the moment if it was stupid or childish or rude. She knocked until he opened it. She barely got a word out when his arms were around her.</p><p>“Kurt, in my room, there's...”</p><p>He released her, rushing down the hall to see whatever new threat awaited. Kitty hurriedly explained, and the two stood puzzling over the duplicate uniform.</p><p>“I suppose Belasco just paid for a second uniform,” Kurt said at last, a light laugh punctuating his words.</p><p>Kitty sat down on her bed, the day's events finally hitting her. Kurt joined her. “I don't think it's anything to be worried about,” he said, referring to the duplicate uniform. “Hang it up and we'll see if it's there in the morning.”</p><p>“Does this really happen a lot? Demons coming to your home and snatching you away in the night?”</p><p>“No, not really. But we've dealt with Belasco in the past. He, er, he kind of hates us.”</p><p>“Great,” she muttered. “So he sent us to hell or something?”</p><p>“I don't know, it didn't seem like any of the nine circles I remember.”</p><p>“What do you mean? You keep mentioning that.”</p><p>Kurt chided himself for letting that slip. Then again, maybe he had wanted to tell her all along. After a moment's hesitation, he answered her. “I've been to the nine circles of hell. Not the real ones, but simulations. Margali, my foster mother, did it as a birthday gift.”</p><p>Kitty was more confused than ever. Was he teasing her?</p><p>Kurt reached for her hand, comforted by her friendship, even though he knew the day's events had frightened her. He told her the story of his twenty-first birthday and her special 'gift,' and how he'd been exonerated in the end only because someone else had interceded on his behalf.</p><p>She listened in wide-eyed attention, clutching his hand tighter and tighter.</p><p>“That's horrible,” she said. “Is that what spooked you in the map store?”</p><p>“You noticed?”</p><p>She nodded and now she took his other hand. Kurt smiled, looking into her eyes, so full of warmth and care and trust. How remarkable that they could share these burdens, lift each other up, carry and be carried through hard things. How odd that it could happen so quickly, when he'd known some of his teammates for years and still felt a distance between them.</p><p>“I wondered if Margali hadn't tried for a repeat performance,” he said.</p><p>“It wasn't the same place, though. Was it?”</p><p>“No, hers was much worse.”</p><p>“Why didn't Amanda tell you, if she knew what Margali was planning?”</p><p>He answered slowly. “I don't know.”</p><p>Kitty pulled her fingers away and leaned across their laps to hug him. He pulled her snug against his side, exhaling heavily into her hair.</p><p>“I was scared today,” she admitted.</p><p>“So was I.”</p><p>“You were?”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>. Only a fool isn't scared.”</p><p>“You didn't seem scared.”</p><p>“Neither did you.”</p><p>“I don't think I can sleep right now,” Kitty said as she eased away from him. “You wanna watch a movie or something?”</p><p>She felt so perfect in his arms, he could have held her forever. “I think that's an excellent idea.” What he really wanted to do was stay there in her arms and kiss her.</p><p>They wandered out to the living room where Kurt pulled a movie off one of the shelves. “Here we go, something light-hearted and fun.”</p><p>“What is it?” she asked.</p><p>“Gene Kelly, <em>Singin' in the Rain</em>. A classic. Have you seen it?”</p><p>She shook her head. They settled back to watch the movie, which Kitty enjoyed, especially the iconic singing in the rain scene, though she was decidedly against the idea of splashing around in the rain.</p><p>“That just looks miserable to me,” Kitty said, even while she smiled.</p><p>“I suppose it depends on one's state of mind.”</p><p>She elbowed him playfully. “Don't tell me, you've done this?”</p><p>“No, I've never had occasion to be so happy.”</p><p>“That's kind of sad. Really? You've never been that happy?”</p><p>He shrugged. “Sure, but not when it was raining.”</p><p>“I was happy when I was a kid, I think. Mostly. Til my parents started fighting all the time. And... I was happy for a while in Massachusetts. I had a lot of friends, a steady boyfriend...I was never popular before.”</p><p>“Why not? You're a lovely person.”</p><p>“Thanks. Not everyone thought that. I'm...” she sighed. “I'm really smart, Kurt, and I stuck out. So I didn't have a lot of friends. They didn't understand me.”</p><p>“That explains a lot about why you stayed with Frost, even after you began to doubt her.”</p><p>“I guess. Yeah. Friendship is really important.”</p><p>“I agree. And fitting in matters, too.”</p><p>Kitty suddenly felt she'd said something wrong. “It's not that it...I mean...dammit. I'm sorry.”</p><p>“I am not offended. Tell me more. You rarely talk about your past.”</p><p>She twirled a loose curl of hair and let it go. “Okay. Well. After Xavier told my mom I was a mutant, they started moving me all around, to all these different schools. And just as I'd get settled, they'd pull me out and put me somewhere else. And it was always for some stupid reason, until Frost convinced Mom to keep me at the Massachusetts Academy.”</p><p>“You were there for most of high school.”</p><p>“Right. Almost graduated, too.” She sighed, then moved on. “Anyway, I liked it. I could be me. I had some friends, or at least I thought they were friends. And Nick, he was...” What could she say about him? He was the one who'd left her for dead and encouraged the rest of them to leave her behind. “I thought he was a good guy.”</p><p>“Love can make us blind.”</p><p>“Yeah. I don't think I loved him, though. I just liked him, and I thought he liked me. Now I'm not sure he ever did.”</p><p>“I dated a woman briefly, after Amanda. She was...” he chuckled, “An alien.”</p><p>Kitty let her eyes bug out appreciatively. “You dated an alien? Like from the movie?” She opened her mouth and moved her arm out like the mouth of the creature in the Sigourney Weaver movies.</p><p>Kurt laughed again, louder. “No, no, she—b”</p><p>Kitty kept making the alien motions until she was laughing too.</p><p>“Stop it,” he scolded playfully. “She was actually quite attractive. You wouldn't have known she was an alien if you met her.”</p><p>“So what happened?”</p><p>“She committed a crime in order to stop a crime, and was remanded to Lilandra's side to serve her penance. She was lucky she wasn't executed.”</p><p>“You really have led a ridiculous life.”</p><p>He didn't laugh that time, but fixed his eyes on her very seriously. “There is a lot of truth to that, Kätzchen.”</p><p>“What about when you were growing up? I know it was a circus, and that's interesting on its own, but did you have many friends growing up? Or was it hard moving around all the time?”</p><p>“Moving around wasn't the issue, <em>I</em> was, at least outside the circus. Most of my friends were other kids in our group.” He gestured to himself. “But I did have one friend outside the circus for a while, a boy named Christian, who would meet me every time we were in town. Then his father discovered him playing with me and beat him for it.”</p><p>“Oh god...”</p><p>“Until then, I never really understood what it meant to be different from everyone else. I had always been accepted.”</p><p>“Did you ever see him again?”</p><p>“I did, actually. He brought his son to see me.”</p><p>“So your story has a happy ending after all?”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, that one does.”</p><p>“It seems like a lot of them don't.”</p><p>“Many of them don't.”</p><p>“This one does today,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze.</p><p>He cocked his head at her and put his arm around her shoulders. “You're right. It does.”</p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Dancing in the Rain Without Mr. Kelly</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Two days later it rained. Not the misty, almost daily rain, but a real rainstorm. It poured down in thundering sheets, pounding on the roof and streaking the windows. Rain on the Scottish Island wasn't uncommon, but a downpour like this wasn't an everyday occurrence, either.</p><p>Kitty was engrossed in a book when the rain started, and it wasn't long before Kurt teleported into the room with two umbrellas to stand in front of her with a wild look on his face.</p><p>She looked at the umbrellas and at his face and shook her head adamantly. “Oh no. No way.”</p><p>“But Kätzchen, it's only rain.”</p><p>“It's freezing!”</p><p>“No it isn't, or it would be sleet.” He smiled beseechingly. “Please?”</p><p>“I can't believe I'm going to let you talk me into this,” Kitty said, looking at her clothes to make sure she wouldn't regret it later. Dark blue top and leggings—she'd be cold but decent.</p><p>Kurt handed her an umbrella and a thin raincoat. Then he held the door as they went out into the deluge.</p><p>The umbrella was a wasted effort. “This is why Gene Kelly gave his away,” Kitty said, hugging herself as she stood in the rain.</p><p>Kurt grabbed her hand and pulled her off the patio. His tail whipped up little splashes of water and mud while he tipped his face up to the rain. “What dance do you recommend for rain and mud?”</p><p>“None?”</p><p>He laughed. “Swing? Tango? Foxtrot? I don't think a waltz would work.”</p><p>“I don't know,” she muttered. Finally he grabbed her hands and started some wild, random twirling and swinging and spinning her around until she laughed.</p><p>“See, it's fun,” he said as the rain made odd rivulets in his fur and plastered his curls onto his head.</p><p>After fifteen minutes, they went back inside, dripping rainwater and mud everywhere because he hadn't thought to bring towels down. “Hold your breath,” he said, his usual warning before teleporting her somewhere. They arrived in his room. “At least we are not dripping in Moira's living room.” He grabbed some towels and handed her one.</p><p>Kitty patted herself as dry as she could. “Okay, I admit, that was kind of fun. Not that I'd want to do it every day or anything.” She held the towel against her chest and realized it carried a faint scent of Kurt's brimstone.</p><p>His hair stood on end from rubbing it dry and he looked like a wild man. He tugged his shirt off while he answered her. “Neither would I, but it was worth it.”</p><p>“I'm gonna go down to my room,” she said, wondering if he planned to keep stripping in front of her. Then again, maybe she should stay and find out.</p><p>“Kätzchen?”</p><p>She stopped. Then she turned around, her heart beating wildly. She hoped her voice was steady. “Yeah?”</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>Kitty smiled softly. Kurt fought the urge to go to her, lift the wet strands of hair from her face and kiss her. But he stood his ground and when she left, he scolded himself. What a fool he must be, willing to risk such a friendship for the possibility of a girlfriend? He must be stupid, he told himself. If only...he sighed. He needed to get control of his feelings before they ran away with him.</p><p>
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</p><p>When Kurt finished his shower, Moira was looking for him. She put a finger to her lips and ushered him into the lower levels. They stopped outside the Protocol room, where she and Kitty were still working on the locking system most days.</p><p>“We got the room to lock,” Moira said. “Not the best system, but it's what we have so far. But look.”</p><p>“What should I be seeing?”</p><p>“Someone's been tampering with the system.”</p><p>“The Protocols are still safe?”</p><p>“Yes, for now. They can't be activated without Scott and Jean in the room. At least for now. Kitty and I managed to reset everything while you were in the shower.”</p><p>Kurt scratched his head and noticed drips on the floor. She hadn't had a chance to shower before Moira had brought her down to address the Protocol room security. “Did you check the surveillance feeds?”</p><p>“I did. There's nothing.”</p><p>He curled his finger over his chin and tapped his tail against the floor, a dull slapping sound, while he thought. “And you have no idea when anyone was down here?”</p><p>“It had to be after the MLF and those obnoxious blue beasties were here, because it was all repaired immediately after that. So someone tampered after you and Rogue returned from New York. Other than that, I'm afraid we don't know yet.”</p><p>Kurt nodded, still thinking. “And you're sure it wasn't Kitty, during her repairs?”</p><p>“She says no, it wasn't her doing.”</p><p>“All right. Keep security tight and let me know if it happens again.” He paused. “And don't mention it to anyone else for now.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Elsewhere...</p><p>“We have the techno-organic circuitry working.”</p><p>“Good. And Pryde?”</p><p>“Has no idea.”</p><p>“Excellent. Keep at it.”</p><p>“She's resistant.”</p><p>“Then try <em>harder</em>. I won't accept failure, Ms. Frost.”</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Old Enemies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kurt answered a call one afternoon from an occasional colleague, their former-spy friend, Pete Wisdom. He'd worked for Black Air until he killed a village of innocents in Thailand under their orders. After that, he uncovered more of their heinous plans and shady dealings at one of their facilities. Now he worked with Alistaire Stuart and occasionally, Rory Campbell. His knowledge of the inner workings of Black Air had helped Excalibur on several missions, including finding Douglock.</p><p>Kitty was in her room reading up on security systems when Kurt poked his head in.</p><p>“Hey,” she said as he leaned against the door frame. He looked good, as always, in a black sweater and jeans.</p><p>“I just got a call from Pete Wisdom,” he said. “Remember him?” He came in and wandered over to the window, not really looking out.</p><p>“Yeah, I remember you telling me about him. Former spy, right? Cranky, smokes like a chimney?”</p><p>“That's the one. He thinks Black Air is up to something in Germany, so I'm going to meet him and see what we can learn.”</p><p>Kitty put her book down. “Okay. When?”</p><p>“I'll have to leave in about an hour.” He joined her on the bed, sitting on the edge near her crossed knees.</p><p>“That's soon,” she said lamely, stifling the desire to pull him to her.</p><p>“Sometimes we don't get any notice. At least I had time to stop by and tell you.”</p><p>“Can I come?”</p><p>“No, I'm afraid not.”</p><p>“No team, huh?”</p><p>“Not this time. Too obvious. Dealing with spies requires a more subtle approach.” He patted her hand. “But perhaps another time, Kätzchen. When it's not a mission and we can enjoy ourselves.”</p><p>“Really? I'd like that. Living over here now, there's a lot I'd like to see.”</p><p>“We don't get around to many real vacations, and they usually end up going awry, but we can always try.” <em>What was he saying to her? He couldn't take her on a vacation. So much for getting control of his feelings</em>.</p><p>Kitty felt her face warming. He was talking about the two of them going on vacation together, as if it were perfectly natural.</p><p>“The team would probably enjoy some time away for the fun of it,” he added, but he couldn't look at her as he said it.</p><p>Kitty tried to hide the little wellspring of disappointment. “Right. Well, I'll do some thorough digging while you're gone and see if I can turn up anything on our mystery person tampering with the lock downstairs. Maybe you'll have a big surprise when you get back.”</p><p>“It would be nice,” he said with a grin, then scratched his fingers through his hair. Several stands stuck up straight, and Kitty reached over to pat them down. “I don't like the idea of someone trying to sneak in.”</p><p>“Me either,” she said.</p><p>“I should get ready.” <em>Control your emotions</em>. He didn't want to.</p><p>Kitty got up and hugged him. He hugged her back, wishing he could kiss her and tell her how he really felt. He wished he could tell her everything. She stood back, looking somehow lost and uncertain. Something in his gut opened up, empty and gaping.</p><p>“I'll be back soon, don't worry,” he said.</p><p>“I'm not worried.” She hugged him again. “But be careful.”</p><p>“Always, Kätzchen.”</p><p>“Tell me before you go?”</p><p><em>I would tell you everything if I could</em>. “I will,” he promised.</p><p>
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</p><p>She was in the hallway to the hangar with another forced smile when he came through forty minutes later. He stopped in front of her, and she wished him well, and told him again to be careful.</p><p>“I'll be careful,” he said. “I don't know how often I'll be able to check in. Don't panic if you don't hear from me every day.”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>Inside, she watched the jet lift off and tear across the sky, leaving a contrail in the direction of Germany.</p><p>
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</p><p>Kurt met Pete in Hamburg, in a dark, back-alley club. The music was too loud, the room was too hot, and the drinks were too strong. Women danced in clothes that were too revealing and men danced too close to them. Kurt sipped his drink while he waited for Pete to rejoin him. He'd spotted his contact in a corner, hands all over a couple of those scantily-clad women.</p><p>Kurt was grateful for the dark, to be able to blend in. He didn't want any attention tonight. He just wanted to indulge his misery for a little while. Telling Kitty the truth would be overstepping things, wouldn't it? How would she be expected to act? He didn't want to risk her friendship and trust, or make her feel uncomfortable if she wasn't interested. He couldn't risk even the chance of that happening.</p><p>Pete slid into the seat beside him again. “Why so glum, Wagner? Some bird dump you?”</p><p>“No, <em>Herr</em> Wisdom, nothing like that. What did your contact say?”</p><p>“Something's up all right. A setup.”</p><p>“Do tell.” A little action would be exactly what he needed to break himself out of his mood. He took a long sip of his beer, really good German stuff he couldn't even get in Scotland.</p><p>“Nah, not here. You comin' along?” he said as he finished his drink and stood.</p><p>“That's why I'm here,” Kurt said, reluctantly leaving his unfinished drink on the table to follow Wisdom out the back. “Looking for a distraction.” Too bad it wasn't working yet. Kitty was still on his mind.</p><p>“I thought you were here to help out?”</p><p>“That is the distraction, <em>mein Freund</em>.”</p><p>They drove to an art museum, where Pete's contact had said they might find some interesting information. As Wisdom explained who and what he thought they'd find inside, a spotlight chunked on, blinding and disorienting them long enough for someone to start shooting at them. Kurt felt the sting of at least two bullets hitting him as he dove for the ground.</p><p>
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</p><p>Two days after Kurt left, Brian answered a call from Pete Wisdom. The mission had gone wrong. Kurt was missing and Pete presumed him dead.</p><p>“Pete's flying here now,” Brian said as the team gathered around him.</p><p>Kitty sat in the living room, numb with shock, while Brian relayed everything Wisdom had told him. A former colleague had ambushed them, intending to kill Pete. He'd escaped after a few hours, fortunately, but when he looked for Kurt, he was gone. Pete had checked the local safe houses, but there was no sign of him. The only thing he knew was that his former colleague claimed Black Air had plans to kill the whole team, as revenge for them meddling in recent affairs.</p><p>“I can only assume they are referring to the damned Devil under London,” Brian said. “Kitty? Can you get Cerebro working if I lend you a hand?”</p><p>She nodded.</p><p>“All of you, see what you can do about locating Kurt, any way you can. Call all our contacts, anything you can think of. As soon as Kitty and I get Cerebro up and running, we'll use that. Until then, it's foot work. Oh, and Douglock, see what you can find out about this Black Air threat.”</p><p>Kitty followed Brian to the Cerebro room and surveyed the exposed wiring and open circuits and cables everywhere.</p><p>Brian put a hand on her shoulder. “Pete's a real pessimist, Kitty. Kurt probably isn't dead.”</p><p>“Okay.” She looked at the control panel, working past her feelings. If she was going to find Kurt, and she was <em>going</em> to find him, she had to focus. “Can you get the top off so I can access everything under it?”</p><p>Brian pulled off the console and set it aside, and Kitty started her repairs while Brian flew up to the top of the dome to start there. Kitty had never dealt with the possible death of a teammate before, and certainly not one she was so close to. She let the electronics hold her attention while her thoughts bumbled along in the back of her mind, batting memories back and forth.</p><p>Pete arrived a few hours later, striding into the place with his cigarette dangling and his jacket askew. He banged on the door of the Cerebro room, an echoing, metallic sound that startled Kitty. Brian flew down to greet him. He called Kitty over to meet their spy contact.</p><p>“Pete's got a little more information for us,” Brian said. “Pete, this is Kitty Pryde. Our newest recruit, although she's not quite so new anymore. She's a bit of a tech genius, so she's the one you'll want to hand that disk to.”</p><p>“Got some intel on here,” he said, holding out a tiny disk. Kitty didn't take it.</p><p>“Not til Cerebro's working. We have to find Kurt first.”</p><p>“Fabulous. This might help you find him.” He glared at her, but she didn't care.</p><p>She snatched the disk from his hand and stuffed it into her pocket. “Can I get back to work now, or do you have more presents?”</p><p>“Thought you <em>wanted</em> to find him?” Pete snapped.</p><p>“I <em>do</em>. That's why Cerebro comes first.” She turned on her heel and started back to the wiring she'd left spilled on the floor like spaghetti.</p><p>“Look, little girl, I get that he's your team leader and you're all lost without him or whatever but—”</p><p>Kitty whirled, fist raised. “Don't you <em>dare</em> call me—”</p><p>Brian stepped between them.</p><p>“Don't mind her, Pete,” Brian said. “She and Kurt are close.”</p><p>Pete shrugged and stalked away, cigarette dangling from his mouth. Kitty rolled her eyes in his direction. What a pompous jerk. As her anger cooled, she thought about Brian's words. Were they close? Of course they were. He was her best friend and she loved him. She didn't know if he loved her back, but he called her his friend, confided in her, and sought out her company. He <em>must</em> love her, in some way.</p><p>
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</p><p><em>Be careful</em>, Kitty had said to Kurt before he left, and now here he was, shot up and bloody and beaten, without a clue where he was or who his assailants were. Every motion sent stabbing pain through his leg and side, but he crawled on anyway, praying to find an exit of any kind. He would not sit still and wait to die. Unfortunately, teleporting was a last resort. Without knowing where he was, he didn't want to risk arriving inside a post or beam and killing himself, so he stuck to the shadows and crawled along the ceiling.</p><p>Laughter and eerie voices chased him until he was almost running through the dark. A web of stinging fluid adhered him to the wall, and he growled back a scream of pain. An evil Spider-Man? The clicking of footsteps on metal floors came closer and he strained to turn his head and see his adversaries. Every motion seemed to activate the adhesive, and sent more electric pain through him. But he had to see.</p><p>Aliens. Enormous, purple, beetle-like things that seemed familiar, but which he was just as certain he'd never seen before. They seemed to know him, though, taunting him with things they dared him to remember.</p><p>And then he did. Years ago, he'd been with the Starjammers, fighting the Brood with the X-Men. Before they had “died.” Sidri aliens had attacked and then been hurt. The team wanted to help them, but Captain Corsair had turned a blind eye to their plight. Kurt and Rogue had gone to the infirmary and released what they believed was a rejuvenation serum into the Sidri vessel.</p><p>“The rejuvenation serum did this to you? But how?” Kurt said, breathing heavily through the pain.</p><p>“Rejuvenation? More like mutation! You made us outcasts among our species and you will pay for what you did to us.”</p><p>“We were trying to help,” Kurt pleaded. But there was no mercy at the hands of the Sidri.</p><p>
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</p><p>Kitty and Brian worked for hours without stopping, until at last Cerebro was working well enough to test. Douglock hooked himself up, tapping at the keys, before simply shoving his techno-organic self into the unit. The team waited, holding their breath and hoping.</p><p>Kitty chewed her lip and fidgeted. Nothing happened. Douglock worked tirelessly, his techno-organic body not requiring sleep. Kitty fell asleep on the floor of the room that night, and stayed away the next day. She couldn't stand to watch the constant flashing “no contact” signal on the screen.</p><p>Would the team blame her for Cerebro not working? Would they ask her to leave? She wasn't sure she'd even want to stay if Kurt was dead. The very idea of him being dead tormented her. How could he die? How could he be gone, when just days earlier he'd been alive and here? She struggled to eat, forcing tasteless food into her body, only because she knew that if they found him, she'd want the energy to go with the team to rescue him.</p><p>The minute the unit was running, with Douglock at the controls, Pete cornered Kitty again. “The disk,” he said.</p><p>“Yeah, sure,” she said. “I haven't slept in two days, but I'll get right on it for you.”</p><p>“Look, I don't know you, and I don't know what Wagner is to you,” Pete said, “But there's data on here that might bloody well <em>help</em> you.”</p><p>She didn't answer him. She had to admit, she was curious about the disk and what might be on it, but damned if she was going to tell him that. She plugged it into one of the Excalibur computers and pulled up the root menu. Scrolling through the files, she opened each in turn. Pete stood over her shoulder, watching.</p><p>“That one,” he said, pointing. Kitty waved her hand in front of her nose.</p><p>“You smell,” she said.</p><p>“So do you,” he replied.</p><p>Kitty glowered. She opened the file he indicated and started reading. She was shocked at what was there. This was Black Air data, acquisitions, transfers, recruit statements, everything.</p><p>“This folder,” he said, pointing to acquisitions. “There might be something in it about Wagner.”</p><p>“This whole disk is Black Air?” she said as she clicked the folder. It was full of data, but when she did a basic key word search, nothing came up.</p><p>“Yep. Told you it was good. Hm,” he grumbled when he saw the results of Kitty's search. “Still might be something on here.”</p><p>“I better tell Brian.” Kitty stood up, but Pete blocked her path.</p><p>“Hey,” he said. “Kurt's a friend of mine, too.”</p><p>She phased through him to find Brian.</p><p>
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</p><p>More than once the following day, Kitty found Pete working at the computer or on the phone. She heard Black Air mentioned, Kurt's name now and then, and others she didn't recognize. She realized Pete was still trying to locate Kurt. Unwilling to watch Cerebro continue to fail them, she tapped Pete's arm as he worked at the computer.</p><p>“What are you doing?”</p><p>“Hacking this site,” Pete said. “Why, you wanna watch an expert?”</p><p>She smiled mischievously. “Sure. Why don't you educate me?” She sat down at the console next to him and typed in the address. Before he could give her the first set of instructions, she was in.</p><p>His cigarette almost fell out of his mouth. “Bloody hell. You're good.”</p><p>“What are we looking for?” she said.</p><p>They worked for hours, and for the first time since the news of Kurt's disappearance, she felt almost okay. Pete was actually funny when he wanted to be, and she found herself laughing at his jokes. Then she felt guilty for being happy, even for a moment, and she went back to work.</p><p>
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</p><p>“Aha!” Douglock shouted to no one after days of searching. He pressed the intercom and notified them all. Kurt was in Italy. Venice, to be precise.</p><p>“All right everyone, let's get to the <em>Runner</em>,” Brian said, but the team was already on their way.</p><p>Pete sat beside her and she was actually glad. He'd done more for keeping her calm, or at least distracted, than anyone else, and his gruff demeanor was growing on her. She could see him hiding something softer beneath it. Within minutes they were in the air, and with Rogue in the States, only Amanda and Rahne were left at the research center with Moira. Douglock followed the signal, calmly inputting data into the flight plan as it updated. Kurt's signal was steady now, located in the heart of Venice below the Grand Canal.</p><p>“He's underwater?” Meggan said in a quavering voice. “Does that mean he's dead?”</p><p>“No,” Douglock replied. “The signal indicates he is alive.”</p><p>Brian set the <em>Midnight Runner</em> down in amphibious mode, but they were no longer cloaked. Beneath the water lay an alien vessel that resembled a giant stingray. Kitty had never seen a real alien ship before and she was amazed at the size and shape of it.</p><p>“What the bloody hell is that?” Pete said as the image grew on-screen.</p><p>“That is a Sidri vessel,” Douglock announced, and Piotr whirled on Brian.</p><p>“<em>Bozhe moy</em>, Brian take evasive action, they are hostile!”</p><p>“Got incoming!” Pete yelled.</p><p>Too late, Brian tried to steer away. The back half of his beloved plane was blasted open. Water rushed in as they crashed down in the canal, overpowering Meggan before she could use her elemental talent to hold it back. She fell, hit her head and landed on the floor unconscious. Piotr abandoned them, his metal form making him impervious to the water and no longer in need of oxygen. He stormed off the ship as the gritty water poured in. Kitty took a deep breath and swam out the back, doggedly helping Pete drag Meggan to the surface. Brian swam beside her with Douglock and they deposited both of them on the surface. Brian stayed with Meggan while Pete and Kitty dove back in to assist Piotr.</p><p>
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</p><p>Inside the alien ship, Piotr confronted the aliens. “Where is he?” Piotr demanded, his metal form resistant to their Gelatinet. “He is still alive?”</p><p>“We have plans for his death. Plans that will satisfy our vengeance.”</p><p>“But—”</p><p>Piotr jumped back when Nightcrawler teleported in, landing at his feet. Kurt struggled upright and brandished his swords, determined to go down fighting.</p><p>“You are alive?” Piotr said, unable to keep the astonishment from his voice. “Douglock said you were, but when I saw the Sidri vessel, I did not think it possible.”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, it's been rough,” Kurt replied as the Sidri began morphing from three into one, a huge beast of a creature that towered over Colossus. He craned his neck to see the creature's face. “About to get rougher, it seems.”</p><p>The giant alien conglomeration loomed over both of them. Kurt was weak and tired, but he would not go down that easily. Now that the team was here, he might live.</p><p>A Sidri claw snatched Kurt into the air and dangled him in front of Piotr, who beat against the alien's hides ineffectively. Kurt bamfed away, but missed his mark, falling into the water again. The giant Sidri filled his vision as it came closer. Kurt tried to teleport again, and couldn't. He raised his sword, pointing it up, the muscles in his arms shaking with the effort. Days without food had left him far too weak, and even Piotr seemed unable to stop these creatures.</p><p>The alien lifted its feet in surprise when the water covering the floor began to drain away without explanation.</p><p>“More enemies,” the aliens muttered, and Kurt turned to see the plating of the ship ripped away by Brian and Meggan. Douglock, Pete, and Kitty followed them in. His heart fluttered, terrified that she was here, in danger, but equally happy to see her. To see all of them.</p><p>“Look,” screeched a Sidri, “That one is of the Phalanx.” They pointed at Douglock, who was attaching himself to the electronic controls at the wall.</p><p>Brian flew towards the huge alien, his fists battering its head. The Sidri knocked him back with one swipe of its long arm, but Meggan caught him before he hit the wall. Kurt found enough energy to roll away from the fight, towards Kitty. She phased through the aliens and grabbed him by the arm, helping him to his feet. He gripped her arm for support as they moved through the fight to the opening in the ship's hull.</p><p>“Kätzchen,” he cried, “look out!”</p><p>Kitty looked up to see Piotr falling down on them, but they were phased, and he smashed into the ground instead. Enraged, he turned on the aliens again, roaring in anger.</p><p>“You will die!” he screamed.</p><p>The rest of the team was stunned at Piotr's uncharacteristic outburst, and in their momentary distraction, the Sidri saw its chance. It grabbed at Kurt again, yanking both him and Kitty off their feet before she phased once more. Kitty dropped to the floor and grabbed Kurt's discarded sword. Kurt couldn't get free of the alien grip, dangling like a treat.</p><p>The aliens kicked Piotr, sending him screeching across the floor toward Kitty. Kurt watched in slow-motion horror. Her back was turned, she couldn't see him. He tried to scream, but even that felt slow and impossible, the waves of sound more like ripples in molasses.</p><p>“Kätzchen!”</p><p>Piotr slid across the floor, metal screaming against metal, and passed harmlessly through her. Kurt swallowed his heart back into his chest as she rushed the aliens. Pete joined in, distracting them with hot knives, blades of heat he could shoot from his fingers, as Kitty plunged the sword into the alien carapace and let go. It solidified inside them, and they dropped Kurt with a sickening scream. He landed beside her, and she immediately grabbed hold of him to phase him.</p><p>“Heat is their weakness, Meggan,” Kurt yelled as they passed her.</p><p>Piotr leaped to his feet, rushing the aliens again, Brian beside him, neither willing to give in as the raging aliens grabbed blindly for the sword.</p><p>“Then heat they shall have,” Meggan said, drawing on her powers. From below the canal, lava rose, swirling in the air. “Get everyone out,” she said, though they were already running.</p><p>The team raced for the exit, Kitty helping Kurt towards the canal. Behind them, Douglock squealed electronically. Brian grabbed him, pulled him free of the Sidri's grip, and flew into the canal with the rest of the team.</p><p>Above the water, the team climbed onto the steep bank one by one, some dragging teammates. Douglock was unconscious, Kurt exhausted but awake. They all dripped with foul canal water, and Kurt collapsed on the side of the canal to rest while the others tried to rouse Douglock. He wasn't moving at all. He didn't breathe air, so basic First Aid was no good. Meggan burst from the water as an explosion rocked the canal, spraying more mucky canal water over all of them.</p><p>Meggan dropped to her knees beside Douglock, prepared to electro-shock him at Kitty's word. Suddenly, he sat up, sputtered some binary, and began speaking.</p><p>“I am an individual! I am unique!”</p><p>Kitty sat back, relieved, then turned her attention to Kurt, on his back beside her with his eyes closed. She bent over his face, her hand trembling against his cheek. “Kurt?”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>?” he said, not opening his eyes.</p><p>“Thank god,” she said, her voice almost a sob. “Are you all right?” Tears of relief mixed with the canal water.</p><p>“I've been better, but I'll be all right.” He opened one eye to look at her. Her hair hung in dirty strings around her face. Her cheeks were pink and there were gray lines where canal water and tears had dried in streaks. He'd never seen anyone more beautiful and didn't bother hiding the fact that he was staring at her. He reached up to lift a strand of hair, tucking it behind her ear, forgetting that he'd promised himself to step back. <em>Later</em>.</p><p>“I know I'm a mess,” she said with a smirk, “But you should see yourself.”</p><p>“On the contrary, you are a sight for sore eyes, <em>liebchen</em>.”</p><p>There was goop in his fuzz and his uniform was in shreds. She picked a glob of gelatinet off his arm and inspected it between her fingers. “What is this stuff? It's all over you.”</p><p>“Gelatinet. A type of web used to hold their prisoners. Seems to be harmless now.”</p><p>She dropped the piece she was holding. “Harmless?”</p><p>“Oh. It contains some type of stinging mechanism.”</p><p>Kitty closed her eyes briefly as she processed what that meant, then started picking out globs of the now-inert goop. A small pile accumulated beside him on the bank while the rest of the team listened to Douglock's tale of success.</p><p>“They removed part of me that was left over from the Phalanx and I allowed them to take it! It will return them to their natural state and I am now fully separate from the Phalanx!”</p><p>After all the pain of the Gelatinet and the alien's attacks, having Kitty picking the goo out of his fur with tender touches was heavenly. Kurt didn't move except to wipe the dirty canal water away from his eyes so he could watch her better.</p><p>“<em>Danke</em>, Kätzchen,” he said. Water ran down her neck in rivulets when she leaned over, lines that danced and jumped across the repellent fabric of her uniform. He wanted to trace those lines, take the black spandex off and see how the water would flow over her skin. More than that, he wanted to hold her against him, wrap his arms around her, and lose himself in the touch of someone who cared about him. He moved his hand to rub one finger against her knee, and she smiled at him. Then she looked up at someone else hovering nearby. Kurt turned his head to see Pete kneeling there.</p><p>“Sorry about this, Wagner.”</p><p>“It wasn't your fault, Wisdom,” he said, but Pete was looking at Kitty. Kitty was looking back, but her hands never left Kurt's.</p><p>“The <em>Runner</em> is destroyed,” Brian said with dismay as he sat down beside Kurt. “I don't know how we'll get home. If Rogue was here, we could fly, like when we went to New York.”</p><p>“<em>Ach</em>, a trip I'd like to forget,” he said. “For now I'll settle for a meal and a hot shower.”</p><p>Brian continued, “I'll get a hotel for the night and make some calls. Maybe I can find someone to raise the <em>Runner</em> from the canal and haul it back to Muir for us.”</p><p>Kurt wasn't sure what was going on between Kitty and Pete. She didn't seem to be returning his attention, but it was also possible she was distracted caring for an injured friend. Whatever it was, he wouldn't let it interfere with that friendship. Kitty was still the best thing to happen to him in many years, and even if he couldn't be the recipient of all her love, he'd be happy with any affection she chose to shower upon him.</p>
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<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Cleanup</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Their hotel room was like nothing Kitty had ever seen. It was a huge suite, with four bedrooms and a balcony overlooking the canal. As soon as they arrived, it was a mad dash for the showers. Kitty didn't think she'd ever get the stench of the canal water out of her hair. Kurt, too, took his time.</p><p>“I was starting to wonder if you were ever coming out,” she said when he fell onto the sofa beside her much later. She was munching on some snacks the hotel staff had provided while they waited for a meal to be delivered.</p><p>“It's that Gelatinet. The water seems to have turned it into something like glue. There's still a lot of it stuck to me. And I had to wash some bullet wounds and cuts. In fact, I should see if there's any antiseptic around...” He got up again and wandered into the guys' suite, then called down to the front desk. A few minutes later, a First Aid kit was delivered.</p><p>Brian and Meggan joined them, and Brian had their clothes sent down to the hotel laundry. Then they sat around in plush white robes, talking and trying to relax. Piotr was particularly quiet, but Douglock was all smiles. When their dinner was delivered, they all ate in famished silence until the worst of their hunger was satisfied.</p><p>Kurt fidgeted beside Kitty, and even while they ate he squirmed, rubbing his back against the seat and scratching at his neck.</p><p>“What's wrong?” she finally asked.</p><p>“I'm terribly itchy. I think it's the Gelatinet.”</p><p>“You want me to help you get it out?”</p><p>He sighed his response, “Oh, <em>Gott</em> yes if you don't mind, it's driving me mad.”</p><p>“Let me get a trash can,” and she brought one over and settled behind him, sideways on the couch. Kurt pulled the robe down to his waist and she could see immediately where much of the sticky stuff had not rinsed out in the shower. “Good grief,” she muttered and began pulling the bits off. “Let me get a brush or something.”</p><p>Piotr rolled his eyes. “You are always looking for reasons to undress in front of women.”</p><p>Kurt rolled his eyes and started to reply. “If you were covered in—”</p><p>“Truth,” Pete said as he wandered in, also clean and wearing a hotel robe.</p><p>Kurt ignored both of them then, concentrating instead on Kitty's fingers on his back, gently lifting bits of goo from his fur and sending shivers up and down his spine. “You're both just jealous that <em>you</em> aren't covered in velvet.” To Kurt, she said, “Are you cold?”</p><p>“If I was, would you brush me?” Pete said, and Kurt wished he could see Kitty's face.</p><p>Kurt sighed. “No, <em>liebchen</em>, it tickles a bit, that's all.”</p><p>Kurt could not have moved if the building collapsed. He leaned sideways against the back of the couch while she worked, scratching lightly as she finished each small section.</p><p>“Better?” she said, leaning close to his ear.</p><p>He nodded. “Much better, <em>vielen Dank, mein</em> Kätzchen.”</p><p>Piotr excused himself, with a brief eye-roll, and went to bed. Pete followed after gruff good nights. Meggan and Brian yawned and did the same. Only Douglock remained, but Kurt suggested he retire as well and reboot his system. He wanted nothing more than to sit alone with Kitty.</p><p>Kurt was so relaxed, his muscles felt like liquid. He didn't know if there was still sticky goop in his fur or if she was just playing now, touching and exploring the texture of his fur. He didn't care. He closed his eyes with a deep sigh. She had worked her way deep into his heart, that was for certain. His feelings waffled back and forth between desperately wanting her and wanting to keep his distance. Right now, he felt too good to argue with himself. He would have gone along with anything she suggested in that moment.</p><p>
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</p><p>Kitty removed all the bits of dried Gelatinet from his back and neck that she could see, and a few stray pieces on his arms. He seemed to be enjoying the attention, so she continued scratching and brushing at his back. After what he'd been through the past few days, she couldn't blame him wanting a little tenderness. She laid her hand flat and stroked down along his spine, relishing the softness of his fur. She had longed to feel how soft he really was, more than just the quick brushes when he hugged her. It was a little wondrous that just over a year ago, he was her enemy, and now they were close enough that she was permitted to touch him like this, in fond affection.</p><p>“I think I got it all,” she said finally, leaning forward to rest her chin against his shoulder. If only she could wrap her arms around him, run her hands over the muscles of his chest, feel them tense under her hands.</p><p>“You must have. It's not itchy now,” he said, and his voice was low and rumbly, a vibration against her cheek.</p><p>When he turned, she brushed lightly at a piece of goop and used the motion as an excuse to leave her hand on his bare chest.</p><p>“Good.” She tilted her chin up to find his eyes on hers. He was so close she could see the short fuzzy hairs beneath his eyebrows and around his golden eyes. She loved his eyes, the way they swirled, shades of yellow mixing like paint.</p><p>“<em>Danke</em>,” he whispered as he leaned even closer. “You came for me. Again.”</p><p>“Of course,” she said, her heart beating wildly from the way he was looking at her. He could probably hear it.</p><p>Kurt put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, kissing her temple and ruffling her hair with his exhale. He wanted more than anything to kiss her lips, but he wouldn't, not in that moment, after such a fright. Maybe later, though, when they were home, if she seemed so inclined. And if she wasn't pursuing Pete.</p><p>As if on cue, she said, “Pete's not as bad as you said he was.”</p><p>Kitty tried to hide her disappointment by changing the subject. She had so hoped he was going to kiss her, had hoped she was giving him the right signals that she was willing and wanted it.</p><p>“Oh? He's quite a character.” He pulled the sleeves of his robe up and tightened the tie around his waist.</p><p>“Yeah. He's nice though.” It was like stabbing forks into his heart with every word. She must feel something for him, to say he was <em>nice</em>. Kurt didn't think anyone had ever described Pete as <em>nice</em>, even his parents, and said so.</p><p>Kurt laughed. “Nice? I don't think I've met a single person who ever described him that way. Only you could see good in a man like that.”</p><p>She shrugged. “We were looking for you, and hacking into this Black Air site. I think he brought us some good intel on them. I haven't had a chance to look over all of it yet.”</p><p>Kurt let his eyes close, Kitty's warmth relaxing him to the point of sleepiness as she leaned against him. He focused on enjoying her closeness and warmth and tried not to think about what could not be.</p><p>“He's pretty smart, too, for an ass.”</p><p>“Does that make him a smartass?” Kurt quipped half-heartedly.</p><p>Kitty chuckled. Kurt wished he could laugh along with her, but he didn't have the heart. “You seem to like Pete a lot,” he said, testing her response.</p><p>She hesitated. “Oh, well, I wouldn't say a <em>lot</em>. He's interesting.” Pete was fine, but she cared so much more for Kurt. “But old.”</p><p>“Mm. <em>Ja</em>. Close to thirty, I believe. Ancient.”</p><p>She giggled. He didn't find it nearly as funny. He wished she was giggling over him.</p><p>Kitty propped her elbow on the back of the couch and willed him to say something. Anything. Tell her he loved her, give her a reason not to be interested in Pete. But he said nothing else.</p><p>“Kurt? How old are you?”</p><p>“Older than you and younger than Wisdom.”</p><p>She frowned. “Oh, come on, are you gonna make me guess? You know how old <em>I</em> am.”</p><p>He relented with a small sigh. “I am twenty-four.”</p><p>“You're old, too then.”</p><p>He flashed his eyes at her, but she was smirking at him, teasing. “I'm sure everyone on the team but Rahne seems old to you.”</p><p>Kitty's smile faded. “I was only joking,” she said.</p><p>“I know. So was I. Perhaps I'm more tired than I realize. My jokes are falling flat.” He got up and stretched. “I need some sleep. Good night, Kitty. Thank you again for your help.”</p><p>She went to the door of her room and looked over her shoulder. “Hey, Kurt?”</p><p>He turned around, hand on the knob.</p><p>There was so much she wanted to tell him, but all she said was, “Good night.”</p><p>
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</p><p>“Brian and Meggan have gone out to breakfast,” Douglock said to Kurt when he got up in the morning. “They said they would return in fifteen minutes, which is thirteen minutes from now.”</p><p>“Thanks, Douglock.” Kurt was usually an early riser, but Douglock required almost no sleep at all, and had been up for a long time. And Kurt had overslept after his adventure.</p><p>Pete was on the balcony smoking, but he returned as Kitty emerged from her room, wrapped in one of the hotel's thick robes, her hair pulled back in a ponytail.</p><p>“Brian and Meggan are on their way, but they had the hotel send breakfast for us,” Kurt told them.</p><p>Kitty was famished. She took a seat next to Kurt, and heaped her plate full of the steaming food. Kurt filled his own plate again and leaned back, tucking his tail out of the way. Piotr joined them, taking a plate of food to the large chair across from them. Their meals were interrupted by Meggan's enthusiastic entrance, flying in with arms spread and an even wider grin on her face. Her happiness was contagious.</p><p>Brian strolled in after her with a newspaper in his hands. “You'll want to see this,” he said, tossing the paper at Kurt.</p><p>He caught it easily and read the headline aloud. “'Charles Xavier Cleared of All Charges.' <em>Was</em>?” Kurt skimmed the article, Kitty and Douglock reading over each of his shoulders. “He wasn't Onslaught?”</p><p>“It was someone else,” Kitty said, pointing to the place in the article. “They don't know who yet.”</p><p>“Perhaps they never will,” Piotr said. “At least the professor has been cleared.”</p><p>“Agreed. Does it say how...” Kurt read further along the article. “No, only that the authorities have determined he could not have been the villain.”</p><p>Beside him, Kitty still hovered over his shoulder, and now she patted him and smiled. “I'm glad it wasn't him, Kurt. I'm glad for you.”</p><p>He reached up with his tail to pat her shoulder. Whatever was going on with Wisdom, it didn't matter. She was still his friend, his <em>best</em> friend, and that hadn't changed. He hoped it never would.</p><p>
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</p><p>Pete cornered her after they got home. Now that Kurt was back, it was business as usual for the team, and that meant picking up formerly abandoned projects</p><p>“Glad he's back,” Pete said. He flicked his cigarette ash and Kitty wondered how long it would take for Moira to find it and come after him. “You wanna look at that disk again?”</p><p>“Yeah. We should do that.”</p><p>They went to the computer lab and ended up talking instead of working, until Pete finally stood up. “Dinner time,” he mumbled. Hours had passed and Kitty hadn't even noticed.</p><p>
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</p><p>Pete hung around the station, even after Kurt told him he could return to London if he had work there. Kurt accepted Pete's vague explanation of working on Black Air leads when he declined. Kitty guessed he did that often enough that Kurt was used to it. She knew they'd worked together in the past. A few days after the Venice trip, Pete came to ask for her help.</p><p>“One of my old mates gave me a lead on something with Black Air. Could be big. I need someone who can hack into their security systems, fast and discreet, while I go in.”</p><p>“Sure, I can do that,” she said. She and Pete found Kurt working at the kitchen table.</p><p>“Wagner, I need a favor,” Pete said while Kitty hovered in the doorway. “I need Kitty to come with me to London.”</p><p>Kurt looked up from the backlog of paperwork surrounding him at the table. His eyes focused on Kitty instead of Pete.</p><p>“Okay,” he said, startling Kitty with his ready agreement. “What for?” Kurt stopped shuffling papers and looked from Kitty to Pete.</p><p>“Black Air trouble. I need a hacker.”</p><p>“Kitty's the one then.” He gave Pete a cursory smile before returning to his papers.</p><p>“Thanks,” Pete said. “Be ready in an hour,” he told Kitty, then walked out, muttering something to himself.</p><p>Kitty sat down across from Kurt, eyeing the papers. “I guess I know what you'll be doing while I'm gone,” she said. He'd been quieter than usual since Italy, but the smile he gave her was still genuine.</p><p>“Files. It's a nuisance, but it helps later if we need to go back for some information.”</p><p>“Pete and I looked over that disk some more,” Kitty said, “The one he brought us when you were in Venice. Besides what I saw the first time, there are a few file folders that look promising.”</p><p>“Such as?” he said, stacking papers and watching the way her eyes seemed brighter when she talked about computers in any capacity. His chest felt full to bursting these days when he looked at her. He'd tried to get his feelings under control, but they seemed only to grow. If he managed to tamp them down, just looking at her brought them all boiling up to the surface again. She seemed taken with Wisdom, for reasons Kurt couldn't comprehend, but he swallowed his pride and said nothing.</p><p>“Lists of operatives, purchases, and contacts by code name, and one that looks like mission reports.” She listed off a few others, rambling on somewhat aimlessly. Kurt wondered if she was nervous about working with Pete, but didn't want to tell him.</p><p>“Sounds like something for us to dig into later. When you get back.”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Do you need anything for this job with Pete?” he said.</p><p>She chewed her lip before she answered. “No, but...you trust Pete, right?”</p><p>“He might not be the most well-bred of Brits, but he's a good man. Yes. I trust him. I would not want you to go with him otherwise.”</p><p>
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</p><p>She left an hour later aboard the <em>Moonlight Flit</em>. They were forced to use Moira's medical vessel for all flights right now while the <em>Midnight Runner</em> was in repairs. Fortunately, Brian had found someone to haul its poor carcass out of the canal in Venice and get it back to Muir Island. It currently occupied half the hangar, its guts strewn across the concrete pad, and the sounds of Brian's tinkering echoed from inside almost all day long.</p><p>Kurt came to the hangar to make sure they didn't need any supplies, and to check the jet before takeoff. Kitty watched him curiously, until he stood up at last with a grin.</p><p>“Would you like to apprentice as a jet mechanic?” he teased.</p><p>“Maybe. But I definitely want to learn to fly it.”</p><p>His grin widened. “When you get back.”</p><p>Kitty climbed aboard the <em>Flit</em> while Kurt exited the hangar. She felt that same constant pull she always did with Kurt, that childish desire to go racing across the hangar and throw herself at him. Maybe someday she would, just to see what he'd do.</p><p>She was surprised that Pete's first stop was to see his elderly father. Pete explained that while he and his father didn't get along, he always stopped in and made sure he was cared for. That was nice of him. Decent. His father seemed less than thrilled to see Pete, but intrigued by Kitty's presence.</p><p>The following two days were a blur of scuttling around bars, talking to women who clearly hated Pete Wisdom, dodging bullets, and sneaking into a covert Black Air building after Pete got himself captured.</p><p>Her first thought was to call Kurt, but by the time he arrived, Pete could be dead. Especially since she and Pete had their only operable jet. She couldn't wait. Heart pounding, she crept into the building, feeling like a cat burglar and praying she wasn't discovered. She had no idea where the Black Air agents had taken Pete, but she thought if she could find a computer station, she might be able to locate him that way. It was eerie how deserted the building was. It gave her the creeps, but Pete was in here somewhere. Once she found him, she could phase them both out with no trouble.</p><p><em>If</em> she could find him.</p><p>She started in an abandoned security station, fingers flying over the keys, trying to find a holding area or notation about Pete's capture. She printed off a stack of papers and shoved them into her uniform when she heard the clatter of footsteps approaching.</p><p>She ran down the hall and phased through another closed door into a dimly lit room, artifacts on display throughout. As if in a museum, they were lit from above, the rest of the room dark. Kurt would love a room like this, with corners where he could hide. <em>Anything could hide in those corners</em>.</p><p>Slowly she made her way through the long space, noting the labels on each cylindrical glass display. <em>Brood alien egg</em>, donated by London Hellfire Club. <em>Sidri alien hatchlings</em>, <em>preserved</em>, gift of Sebastian Shaw, New York Hellfire Club. Each display was an alien artifact or specimen, each was given by someone with connections to Black Air or the Hellfire Club. Some were names Kitty recognized, either from her classes at the Academy or from working with Excalibur. The last specimens were the largest of all.</p><p>And they were alive.</p><p>They stepped out of the shadows at the end of the room and spoke to her in her mind, an unnerving, metallic sound that grated on her nerves. She shrank back as she realized they were not in a cage or a display, but had somehow gotten loose.</p><p>“Welcome small one,” the aliens said as one. “Have you come to feed us?” Their long limbs reached out, clawed fingers clicking together as they opened and closed their fists.</p><p>“No,” Kitty said aloud. <em>Maybe they were friendly</em>. She would have laughed at herself if she wasn't terrified. “I'm looking for my friend.”</p><p>“We can't help you with that,” they said, and took another step and another towards Kitty as she continued slowly backing away, never taking her eyes off the creatures. They were definitely <em>not</em> friendly. And she <em>should</em> have called Kurt. But he wasn't here, and she had to figure this out herself now.</p><p>She backed away, faster and faster, until she was stumbling over her own feet, falling to her backside with a tight-lipped shriek as she jarred her teeth. In a panic, she scrambled blindly for the door, tumbling through as the aliens' claws passed through her. From the other side, the clanging of the aliens on the other side as they bashed into the metal was loud enough to ricochet down the empty hall as they screamed for her to come back and feed them. Kitty didn't waste time waiting to see if they could get out. She bolted down the hall, and turned a corner, blindly craning her neck to see if the aliens were following her. She ran through a man in a tattered, bloody suit before she could skid to a stop. She spun around and grabbed his hand.</p><p>“Pete!”</p><p>He was badly beaten but alive, and he looked pissed.</p><p>“Aliens,” she gasped. “Aliens, all kinds, talking in my head...”</p><p>“Forget 'em, we're going.”</p><p>He grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him. They passed the alien door, still sealed, still ringing with the sound of them hammering against it. They shrieked in her head and she pressed her hands to her ears until Pete grabbed her elbow. There was nothing to do but run.</p><p>
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</p><p>Later, aboard the jet, Pete explained to her how he managed to blow the entire place up. He explained where all the artifacts had come from, and how Black Air acquired those kinds of things and why. Kitty had never known such evil existed in the world, and she sat with her mouth gaping open like a fish while Pete calmly told her everything about Black Air. She wondered if there had been people in the building. The aliens had been alive. Would Kurt have sanctioned such action? She was still puzzling over that thought, chewing her lip, when Pete addressed her.</p><p>“You impress me, Pryde,” he said, studying her face intently. “Wanna have dinner with me?”</p><p>She blinked rapidly. “Um...” <em>Did he just ask her on a date</em>? “Oh, I uh...”</p><p>“If you want to have dinner with me, then say yes. If not, say no. It's a simple question.”</p><p>Kitty wasn't sure <em>what</em> she wanted, to be honest. She hadn't dated since Nick. Kurt intrigued her, made her heart race and her head spin, but he seemed only to see her as a friend or a sisterly companion. Should she give Pete a chance? She liked him well enough.</p><p>She lifted her eyes to his face and realized there was no confusion with Pete. She smiled.</p><p>“It's really nice of you to ask,” she said, “Dinner sounds good. But Pete,” she said, “we're just friends.” She liked him well enough. She deserved more than <em>well enough</em>.</p><p>“Sure, Pryde.” He set the auto-return function and pulled out the First Aid kit to wipe up his face and hands.</p><p>“Want some help with that?”</p><p>He shrugged, but handed it to her. He was older by at least ten years, according to Kurt's estimate of his age, and what Kitty had seen. The lines on his face came from stories she probably didn't want to hear, but she liked the look on him. She found tiny scars as she cleaned him and applied antiseptic to his face. When she wiped his eyebrows, she saw that his eyes were fixed on hers. She scowled and looked away. She didn't want Pete's eyes on her, not like that.</p><p>
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</p><p>Half the team was lounging in the living room when they came through, watching the evening game shows. Kurt's grin was bright when they walked in, wavering only slightly as he looked from her to Pete. Her cheeks were hot and she felt like he could see right through her, that he knew what had happened in the plane with Pete. She glanced at him again. Kurt was her friend. If only she could get her heart to understand that.</p><p>“Pete, you look awful. Did everything go okay?” Rahne said.</p><p>“Swimmingly,” Pete grumbled before stalking down the hall to change. “Fuckin' Black Air.”</p><p>Kurt's expression turned curious and Kitty wished she could talk to him alone.</p><p>“Swimmingly, hm?” Kurt said while Kitty found a place on the couch between him and Rahne. “I take it there were some problems?”</p><p>Kitty kept her eyes on the television. “There were aliens.”</p><p>“Aliens?” Rahne said.</p><p>Kitty nodded to both of them. “Yeah, a lot of 'em, donated by the Hellfire Club. Mostly dead, but there were some that weren't. They talked to me, in my head, like...like they were <em>in</em> there. It was horrible.” She reached into her uniform and withdrew the sheaf of papers she'd printed, tossing them onto the coffee table.</p><p>Kurt leaned forward slightly, one hand touching her shoulder. For a moment, everyone else was forgotten as Kitty met his eyes.</p><p>“What kind?” he said.</p><p>“I don't know. They didn't have a label.”</p><p>They all shared a chuckle. Kitty went on to explain how she'd found them, and why they were in the building, sharing all those details. After a while their attention returned to the evening shows.</p><p>Meggan and Brian spent most evenings alone, but they were in the kitchen that night. Kitty could hear them, their playful teasing and laughter making her wish for that same closeness. Piotr and Amanda had not said a single the entire time. They were on a sofa watching television, hands clasped together, Amanda's legs draped over Piotr's lap. Kitty wondered how it made Kurt feel, to see them together like that. She wondered if it still bothered him or if he'd gotten over it. Maybe his dislike of Amanda stemmed from missing her.</p><p>Rahne left when her favorite show ended, and went with Douglock to meet Moira up at the house, where they lived apart from the research building. Piotr and Amanda retired as well, and Kitty could no longer hear Brian and Meggan. Pete was in his room. Kitty thought about inviting him to sit with her and Kurt, who was flipping through the channels. But she wanted to talk to Kurt alone, and she was pretty sure Pete was disappointed at her rejection. She waited for him to look at her.</p><p>“Pete blew up the building.”</p><p>“With the aliens inside?”</p><p>“Yes. Maybe some people.”</p><p>Kurt inhaled so deeply she could see his chest expanding as he clenched his jaw.</p><p>“Then he asked me out.”</p><p>He expelled the breath in a rush of air as he turned his whole body to face her. He seemed more shocked about this than the building.</p><p>She cleared her throat and repeated herself. “He asked me out. After I saved him.”</p><p>“What did you say?” He flipped through the papers on the table rather than look at her.</p><p>“I said yes,” she said, “But as friends. I met his dad, too.”</p><p>“I thought he was on a mission?” The tense undertone of his voice was gone now. He leaned back on the couch again, still skimming the papers, but relaxed now.</p><p>“It was a mission, but whenever he's there, he stops in to check on him. He's old and sick, and he hates Pete. Or, at least he says he does. Pete says he blames him for his mother's death.”</p><p>“Huh.” Kurt frowned a little and stretched his legs out in front of him, tossing the papers back onto the table. “Tell me again how you happened to meet these aliens?”</p><p>“I had to go after Pete when he was captured. There wasn't time to call you, but I didn't need help.”</p><p>He flicked his eyes to hers, and after a pensive moment, smiled. “Of course you didn't. I trust you, Kätzchen. I wouldn't have let you go with him if I didn't think you were perfectly capable.”</p>
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<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Dreams and Sharks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kurt had been right about the chaos not being constant. Days passed where there was nothing to do but work on tech projects or play pirates in the hologym or watch movies. Other times, problems they thought they'd solved returned to bite them on the finger.</p><p>“Ouch!” Kitty shrieked. She sat up, flinging her book down, and peered into the glowing yellow eyes of one of the blue critters they'd previously eradicated from the station while Kurt was away. What was this one doing back here? It jumped onto her stomach from the back of the couch and bit her elbow. “OUCH!” Kitty flung it hard away from her, but it was undeterred.</p><p>It hopped onto the back of the couch as Pete and Kurt rushed in from the computer lab where they'd been working.</p><p>“These blighters again?” Pete snorted.</p><p>“These are the creatures that overran the place while I was away?” Kurt said, drawing a sword.</p><p>The one on the couch jumped on Kitty's back, clinging to her clothes and hair as more began to appear. The room was soon swarming with them, all attacking whoever joined them. Kurt managed to sound the alarm before the creatures nabbed him again. They teleported all over the room, so the team couldn't get a grip on any of them for more than a moment. They looked and behaved a lot like miniature versions of Kurt, only these critters were mean. They grabbed and bit and yanked her hair.</p><p>Amanda rushed in, opening one of her teleport discs. “Try to herd them over here!” she cried. Last time that was how they'd rid the place of them, but it seemed the creatures weren't falling for it this time.</p><p>“What do they want?” Kurt said as he kicked another towards Amanda's disc.</p><p>More and more crowded Kitty, pulling her hair hard and biting at her ankles even as she kicked. She phased, but they were unaffected.</p><p>“I think it's pretty obvious they want me!” Kitty cried, still trying to peel them off her. One brandished a sword and held it to her neck. She could feel the blade, sharp and cold, and then the creature spoke.</p><p>“Better cut it out,” it said. “Or pretty Kitty loses her head.”</p><p>The team froze, and Kurt stepped forward.</p><p>“Ah-ah, blue-boy, stay right there. Our boss is on his way.”</p><p>“Your boss?” Kurt said. “Who is your boss? Let him show himself and face us!”</p><p>The creatures laughed, and the room began to swim around her. Kitty struggled to keep her perspective, but found herself in a dream. It was like drifting off while awake, sleep soaking into her skin and pulling her down. The sensation was odd, like that half-waking state in the morning before she opened her eyes. Only she was already awake.</p><p>The dream unfolded around her, in the space she found herself still standing. There was no sword at her throat now. Now, there was Kurt lounging on the couch, watching a movie, seemingly oblivious to what Kitty was doing as she typed on a laptop that hadn't been there before. Her teammates appeared, emerging like mist from the walls around her. The room began to glow, and Kitty realized it was on fire. All around her, she saw flames licking the walls, and somehow in the dream she could see Moira's lab burning, the Protocol room burning, the Cerebro room. Everything was on fire and Kitty was standing in the center, clutching the computer to her chest. Alone. Where had her team gone? They'd deserted her, left her here to die.</p><p>She began to hear voices in the fire, Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw and Nick Kensington. They were talking about her. The flames seemed to form their faces, too, all laughing at her or looking angry. And then Kurt's face emerged, gentle and smiling. She gasped and reached for him, trusting that he wouldn't leave her, even if the others did. Then it disappeared, overtaken by the faces of her former classmates. Around her, the voices grew louder.</p><p>“She is useful to us.”</p><p>“Betrayal is inevitable.”</p><p>“Mistakes cannot be condoned.”</p><p>“Do not trust her.”</p><p>“Let her die.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Kurt had lived through Nightmare's manipulations before, and he recognized this for what it was, but still, he was powerless to stop it as his dream unfolded around him. His first thought was <em>why</em>, his second was for Kitty, who had never, to his knowledge, dealt with Nightmare. He stood now, facing all his former loves, Amanda and Cerise, Judith Rassendyll the princess of Ruritania, Anjulie, Meggan, Ororo, and Kitty. One by one they pointedly rejected him. Monstrous, hideous, a devil, a demon. They rattled off the usual complaints and insults. He stood, his waking self knowing it wasn't real, and yet his dream self was crumpling, crushed by the weight of the pain they inflicted with their words. Even Kitty turned on him, laughing with hate and disgust at the body he could not help was his.</p><p>Throughout the Research Station, Excalibur cried out, painful waking dreams assaulting them. Meggan failed her team again and again. Brian watched Meggan leave him at the altar. Rogue was lost in a crowd, touching everyone she looked at, touching everyone she loved. Rahne lost her mother. Moira failed to stop the Legacy Virus, becoming infected herself and infecting her friends and family. Pete relived the destruction in Ronsaphan, Thailand.</p><p>But then he remembered. He'd beaten Nightmare before. He could do it again. He willed himself to break Nightmare's hold on him, and there stood the goblin-like man, grumpy at Pete's failure to entertain him.</p><p>“You think you can terrorize these people?” Pete said casually. “You and I have clashed before, Nightmare. I beat you then and I'll do it again. Let them go, or I'll bloody well make you.”</p><p>Nightmare laughed his wicked laugh and dared Pete to try. One by one, Pete dismantled the dreams, until only Kitty's remained. Pete paused, watching her dream self crying as she burned. “You can't hurt me with these dreams. Look at them. None of them will take it. Not even her.”</p><p>Kitty's dream self stood in the middle of the burning room, crying. Pete watched as dream Kitty scowled at Frost and Shaw, looking past the flames. She walked through them, intangible, pulling her Excalibur teammates out of the flames and dragging them behind her to safety.</p><p>Nightmare was distracted, giving Pete the opening he needed. He grabbed the goblin's remote and smashed it. “Leave us be!” he yelled, and threw the broken remote at his viewing screen, which cracked.</p><p>
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</p><p>Kitty woke with a start that sent her tumbling backwards over the arm of the couch. She gasped for air, feet scrambling against the couch cushions as her teammates woke around her.</p><p>They all looked stunned. Meggan had been crying. Brian looked terrified. Rogue's face was blank. Piotr had his hand over his face. Amanda, too, had been crying. Kitty pressed a hand to her head and stared at them all.</p><p>Kurt spoke up. “Is everyone all right?”</p><p>Murmurs of assent ran through the group.</p><p>“Where are Rahne and Moira?” he asked.</p><p>“We're here,” Moira said, as she and Rahne and Douglock joined the group. Her teammates were all there, and the blue creatures were gone. She wondered what they were and why they looked and acted so much like Kurt.</p><p>Kurt stood up, rubbing his face and his hair as he addressed the team. “Let's all take a few minutes to regroup, and then we'll meet here again. Try to figure out what Nightmare was after <em>this</em> time.”</p><p>He glanced down at Kitty. “None of that was real, Kätzchen. Nightmare is...”</p><p>“He's a creep who hijacks people's dreams to mess with their heads for his own amusement.” Pete strolled over to the couch.</p><p>Kitty didn't know what to say.</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, he takes your greatest fears and makes them feel real.”</p><p>“I hate that guy,” Pete muttered.</p><p>“Have you fought him before?” Kitty said, finally arriving at something she could say.</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>. A few times.”</p><p>“Kicked his ass every time.” Pete was fiddling with a cigarette. He obviously wanted to be smoking it.</p><p>“Wha—but how? If it's not real...”</p><p>“Turn his dreams around on him. Fight 'em. He thrives on pain and suffering. If you don't suffer, he loses his power.”</p><p>“But I don't think I did that.”</p><p>“You did. He did,” he waved his hand at Kurt. “They all did.” Pete stuck the cigarette in his mouth. “Then I smashed his bloody remote and kicked him out.”</p><p>“So...you could see all the dreams?”</p><p>“Yup.”</p><p>Kitty leaned back on the couch, trying to understand it all. Being a member of a super team was a lot stranger and more frightening than she'd ever imagined, in spite of all her classes at the Massachusetts Academy. Pete wandered out to the back patio to smoke. Kurt finally sat down beside her.</p><p>“Are you all right?”</p><p>“I guess.”</p><p>“Nightmare's dreams sometimes have lingering effects.”</p><p>“Okay,” she said. “Did you see all the dreams?”</p><p>“No, only mine. It was the same one he usually uses on me.”</p><p>“There were voices in a fire, and everyone left me.”</p><p>“It wasn't real, remember.” He touched her cheek so she would look at him. “I will never leave you behind.”</p><p>The overwhelming rush of feeling had her thrown against him, arms around his neck before she even knew what she was doing. She gasped, her face buried in his neck, squeezing tight one last time before she let go and dropped onto the couch, wiping her eyes.</p><p>“I believe you,” she said.</p><p>
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</p><p>Kitty's experience with Nightmare had been shocking, but she had realized something she couldn't ignore. She loved this team. Not only Kurt, who she loved especially, but every one of them. They had become a surrogate family in many ways, forgiving her mistakes, teaching her, supporting her. Now she could see what Kurt meant when he talked about the X-Men being his family. She felt it, too, more than she ever had at the Massachusetts Academy. They had been her friends—false friends—but they'd never been family. Excalibur was.</p><p>
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</p><p>Sometimes the awful dream returned to her, and Kitty would see faces in the burning walls around her, or hear their jeers and taunts, tearing at her heart. But she reminded herself each time that it wasn't real, and never would be. They were her team now and they would not leave her behind. Kurt had promised never to leave her behind.</p><p>Nightmare's visit had also driven home the need for increased security at the station in general. Kitty and Moira talked over some plans for a system that would alert them to the presence of non-human entities, including ones like Nightmare and Belasco. It would take quite a while to design and build it, but Kitty was willing to do the work. She was also supposed to be working on increasing security at the Protocol Room, and was kept busy with both jobs.</p><p>She'd been working on the alert system and the Protocol Room for just over a week when she headed down to the vault one morning and noticed immediately that the keypad was blinking. Someone had entered the wrong access code too many times. She called up to Moira.</p><p>“Did you forget the code?”</p><p>“What code?” Moira asked through the intercom.</p><p>“To the Protocol Room. Do you want me to reset it?”</p><p>“I haven't been there in weeks. Why?”</p><p>“Someone locked it. Entered the wrong code too many times. It wasn't you?”</p><p>“No. Maybe Kurt?”</p><p>“I'll ask him.”</p><p>It wasn't Kurt, and it wasn't anyone else. Kitty puzzled over it and decided the keypad must be faulty. She removed it and installed a brand new one, with a brand new code.</p><p>The following day, the same thing had happened.</p><p>Kitty, Moira, and Kurt met at the door where Kitty showed them what had happened.</p><p>“I checked the security feed yesterday,” Moira said. “No one's been down here.”</p><p>“You're telling me no one has tampered with this keypad, but it's malfunctioned twice?” Kurt said, rubbing his chin, his tail slowly undulating behind him.</p><p>“It's brand new, too,” Kitty said. “I replaced it yesterday.”</p><p>“Can you tell if anyone got into the room?” he asked.</p><p>“It doesn't look like it. Half the time the door won't even open for me.”</p><p>“We should go inside and inspect the room.”</p><p>“We can't,” Kitty said. “The keypad is resetting right now.”</p><p>“I can teleport inside with Moira and—”</p><p>“No, you can't.” Kitty smiled. “I mean, you can try. But it won't work.”</p><p>Kurt cocked a brow at her and slowly smiled back. “You got the inhibitor tech to work.”</p><p>Kitty's smile finished filling up her face. “I did. I can't even phase in, see?” She pushed her hand against the door to no avail. “So I <em>have</em> to fix this.”</p><p>He crouched beside her where she was working on the floor, keypad disassembled in her lap, components scattered around her.</p><p>“The Protocols are safe, then?”</p><p>She nodded. “Mostly.” She held up the broken keypad. “This is a weak link, obviously.”</p><p>“We have to have <em>some</em> way in,” Moira said.</p><p>“Do we?” Kurt replied, tipping his head up. “What purpose do we have in there? What could possibly give us a reason to go into this room?”</p><p>“What if Wolverine goes mad?” Moira argued.</p><p>“Would <em>you</em> be the one to kill him, then?” Kurt said.</p><p>Moira shook her head sadly. “Charles entrusted the Protocols to me.”</p><p>“I know he did. Honestly, Moira,” he said, “The only purpose of these Protocols is to kill. Why do we need access to them at all? Perhaps we should seal them up completely. No entrance at all.”</p><p>“Someone might still get in,” Kitty said.</p><p>“True, Kätzchen, but it would be very difficult.”</p><p>“We could destroy them.”</p><p>“Destroy them?” Moira said. “No, I-I <em>can't</em>. Charles asked me to take care of them, not destroy them.”</p><p>“Kitty has a good point,” Kurt said, and he shifted closer to her while he explained. “If there are no protocols, then there is no fear of our enemies using them against us. It is worth considering.”</p><p>Moira put her head in her hand. “Och...I'll think about it,” she said wearily.</p><p>“That's fair. Kitty, you keep working.”</p><p>Moira polished her glasses in silence, then sighed. She promised again to carefully consider destroying the Protocols before she left.</p><p>Kurt didn't leave. Kitty finished the reset on the keypad and looked up into golden eyes hovering too close for comfort.</p><p>“Doing all right, Kätzchen?” he asked.</p><p>She smiled. “Fine. You?”</p><p>“To be honest, I could use a turn on a pirate ship.” His eyes sparkled.</p><p>Kitty's smile broadened. “It just so happens I'm finished here. You need an opponent or a damsel?”</p><p>“How about a partner?”</p><p>Her heart swelled. “Deal.”</p><p>
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</p><p>“Captain Crawler and Pirate Kitty versus the villains of Star Wars, commence,” Kurt announced, activating the program with voice recognition. He leaped onto the boat and flipped onto the upper deck.</p><p>Kitty laughed. “Are you serious?”</p><p>“Do I ever joke about swashbuckling?” he quipped. “Look out!”</p><p>Kitty spun on her heel in time to dodge a blow from Darth Vader. He almost ran her through, she was laughing so hard at Vader's pirate persona. When Emperor Palpatine appeared, hobbling somewhat in his pirate boots and coat, Kitty laughed even harder.</p><p>“Pay attention, <em>liebchen</em>,” Kurt admonished as he parried with Darth Maul. “You can't afford to be distracted when your life is on the line.” He leaped close to her, kissed her cheek loudly and leaped away again, brandishing his sword at yet another villain.</p><p>“How can I fight when they look so ridiculous? You should've left them in their space getups at least.”</p><p>“Never!” he said, leaping around the mast to stab a helmeted figure in the back. “Pirates in name shall be pirates in appearance!”</p><p>Darth Maul reappeared and attacked Kitty, his light saber pirate sword making its signature humming sound as he sliced the air, missing her by inches.</p><p>“You didn't mess with the safeties, did you?” Kitty wasn't willing to fight without some level of safety, but she knew Kurt often disabled many of them when he ran sims alone.</p><p>“<em>Nein</em>, never when you're with me,” he said as the lights went out.</p><p>Kitty went intangible so she wouldn't be injured in the dark. “You were saying?”</p><p>“I didn't program this.” Kurt sounded only mildly concerned until the room began to flood.</p><p>Water poured in, spilling over the sides of the holographic boat. Kitty couldn't see anything, but she could hear it rushing in. The room could be fully flooded in under two minutes.</p><p>“Stay phased, Kätzchen, we're not only under attack by space pirates but also apparently,” she heard the sound of swords clanging, and something else, loud and metallic. “Mechanical sharks.”</p><p>“I'll try to get to the wall,” Kitty said, moving forward on molecules of air and water. With the lights out, Kitty couldn't see anything, so she blindly moved forward, airwalking until she couldn't anymore. “Bad news, Kurt.”</p><p>“You can't phase out?”</p><p>“How'd you guess?”</p><p>“I can see you.”</p><p>“Oh. Right. The water's still rising, isn't it?”</p><p>“It is. Fortunately not as fast as it's capable of, but we're still in trouble.”</p><p>“Can you teleport out?”</p><p>“I tried.”</p><p>More metallic sounds and splashing. Seconds or minutes passed, Kitty wasn't sure. “Kurt?”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>.”</p><p>“You okay?”</p><p>“Not really. I'm about to be devoured by a mechanical shark.”</p><p>“Can you get to me?”</p><p>He didn't answer immediately. “I'm here, but you'll have to go solid to grab me.”</p><p>“That's okay, I can—”</p><p>“No! The sharks followed me. They're doing laps. Hold on, I'll leap onto the wall.” She heard a dull thump as he landed above her.</p><p>“Now what?”</p><p>“Now...we hope someone comes looking for us.”</p><p>Kitty wondered how long she could remain intangible. She'd never tested it.</p><p>“When you're phased, is it similar to Piotr's metal state? Must you breathe and...?”</p><p>“I don't really breathe, but Kurt, I don't know...I never tried to stay phased a long time.”</p><p>“Perhaps you'd consider phasing a friend along with you?”</p><p>“I can't see you.”</p><p>“If you move up a little, go solid. I'll catch you.”</p><p>She could do nothing but trust him. “How's this?” she said when she thought she'd gone far enough.</p><p>“A little more. There. Whenever you're ready.”</p><p>She shut her eyes tight and went solid. Almost immediately, she was pulled close in Kurt's strong arms, and she took a moment to hold onto him. She phased both of them, and now there was nothing to do but wait to be rescued or die.</p><p>They inched closer and closer to the ceiling until even Kitty could tell they were there. Like the walls, she couldn't phase through it. She kept her arms around Kurt, unable to really feel him except with that strange, tingling sensation she had when she was phased. She couldn't see him, either, but knowing he was there made her want to be brave.</p><p>This was not how she thought she'd die. She imagined she'd be old and gray, or in a battle, or standing up for someone's rights. Never like this. Trapped in her own home gym, swallowed up by bathwater full of sharks and Darth Vader.</p><p>The tingling that was Kurt holding her moved, and she wished she could see him. She conjured an image of him in her mind, dark fuzz around his eyes and unruly curls hanging down his forehead. Pointed teeth in a bright, handsome smile.</p><p>“This isn't looking good,” Kurt said, and even his voice was quavery. “Kitty, I just want to say—”</p><p>“<em>Bozhe Moy</em>?” Piotr's loud exclamation came over the intercom and Kitty heard the water cease pouring in.</p><p>Then came Brian's voice, asking, “What the blazes is going on in there?” The lights came on and Kitty was able to see just how close they'd come to dying. There were at least six mechanical sharks circling them, the entire room was flooded, and below the water, the villains of Star Wars waited with swords drawn.</p><p>“<em>Danke Gott</em>, Piotr, Brian, the system malfunctioned!”</p><p>Piotr and Brian immediately recalled the sharks and ended the pirate program, and she and Kurt were able to float, solid once again, until the water drained completely.</p><p>“What happened?” Brian asked.</p><p>“The system went out, lights and everything,” Kurt said. “Could you tell what happened?”</p><p>“It's shorted out completely,” Brian said. “We'll have to shut it down until we can repair it.”</p><p>“It is good you are safe, <em>tovarishchi</em>.”</p><p>Kurt ran a hand through his hair, flicking drops of water. “Looks like you're going to be quite busy for a while, Kätzchen,” he said with a chuckle. “What a week it's been! Perhaps we <em>should</em> consider a vacation.”</p>
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<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Virus in the System</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kitty had been on the team for nearly eight months, and in that time she had slowly found her place and become more comfortable. She had considered most of them friends, and all of them family. Moira was like a long-lost aunt. Rogue was still a bit reserved at times, but she was slowly warming up to Kitty. Piotr and Amanda kept mostly to themselves and were generally nice to her. Rahne had become a friend, as had Meggan. Douglock was something else entirely, but Kitty liked him, and he seemed to like her.</p><p>Kurt was her best friend, the kind of friend she'd always wanted to have some day. She used to dream, when she was little, of having a real best friend, someone to have sleepovers and parties with, to spend hours talking to on the phone. She and Kurt might not have sleepovers or talk for hours, but she couldn't imagine a better, truer friend. And if she still pined for him in the night, or found her eyes wandering over tight muscles, she told herself it was nothing more than foolishness. She'd get over it eventually.</p><p>Kurt followed through on the training schedule, and she'd become much better at both offense and defense. He taught her sword-fighting, too, and every now and then the whole team trained together. Most weekends they went to the mainland on Saturday night. Sometimes they went for dinner, sometimes to the pub. Moira's second cousins ran the pub, and the whole team was welcome there. Annie and her father knew them and ran a tab for them.</p><p>Kitty was more than busy. She'd added the hologym to her list of repairs and upgrades, and then, after a trip to Australia to help one of Piotr's former Acolyte friends, Kurt nearly stepped on some land mines that registered mutant signatures. She decided she'd build a device to detect them. They might have to go back there someday, though she hoped not very soon. That project was at the bottom of her list.</p><p>The Protocol Room security was the biggest issue. Nearly every day the keypad malfunctioned and Kitty couldn't find the reason for it. She'd replaced it at least five times, changed the code daily, and watched the security feed. She couldn't find a short in any of the circuitry. No one was going near it. She considered the possibility of someone hacking from outside their network, but she hadn't connected that part of the system to anything outside of Muir Island. It had to be a malfunction, or someone on the island. Unless someone else had connected it to the outgoing system, but if they had, she couldn't find the connection.</p><p>Kurt came down to talk to her while she reset the keypad yet again.</p><p>“I think Moira's finally caving on the Protocols,” he said. He stood close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from him.</p><p>“That would be fantastic. Then we wouldn't have to keep messing with this stupid thing. I don't understand what's wrong with it.”</p><p>“From what I can tell, Kätzchen, if you can't solve it, it cannot be solved.”</p><p>She blushed, and kept working. He put his hand on her shoulder and stepped a little closer. Her hands went still and she lifted her eyes to his, her smile softening as she looked at him.</p><p>Kurt wanted to kiss her so badly he could almost feel her lips under his. She was looking at him expectantly, too, as if she...<em>did</em> she want him to kiss her? He leaned in, noting the lift of her chin and the subtle parting of her lips as he came closer. He lost his nerve and only kissed her cheek, but it was gentle and lingering. She was flushed bright pink when he straightened, and he considered kissing her again. He was just leaning in when Moira buzzed him on the intercom.</p><p>“I'll be right there,” he said, his mouth still close enough to brush Kitty's skin when he answered.</p><p>In a puff of smoke, he was gone. Kitty struggled to breathe. Dammit. Why did Moira have to call him right then? Her heart was pounding in her chest and she had to stop what she was doing until her fingers stopped shaking. She leaned her head against the wall and grinned until her cheeks ached.</p><p>
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</p><p>Moira's face was tightly drawn and pale. “Come see this,” she said. They were in the security suite where Moira was reviewing the surveillance in the Protocol Room hallway.</p><p>“I noticed we had a slow connection, much slower than it ought to be. It looks like there's a virus in the system.”</p><p>“That's odd. Why didn't Kitty find it?” He rubbed his chin and called down to her.</p><p>She was still pink cheeked when she walked in, and in spite of the virus, he wanted to pull her into his arms and see how far down he could make her blush.</p><p>“Kitty, what do you make of this?” Moira said, moving over to give her room. “Looks like a virus to me.”</p><p>Kitty scanned it, scrolled down a bit, chewed her lip. “Hm. I don't think so. No. It looks more like someone hacking the system.” She sat down in Moira's quickly evacuated chair and began typing furiously. “They're <em>here</em>. In the station,” she said, her face pale when she looked up.</p><p>Nightcrawler sounded the general alarm and sent the team searching for the intruder. Kitty kept working. Kurt returned a few minutes later, reporting they could find no intruders.</p><p>“I've almost got it isolated,” she said. “There. The computer lab.”</p><p>“I checked there myself, Kätzchen,” he said. “There was no one.”</p><p>She showed him on the screen. “That's what it says.”</p><p>“All right. Let's check again. Perhaps someone is camouflaged.” He took her hand and teleported to the lab.</p><p>There was no one there. Kitty pulled up security on one of the computers. “It still says the breach is in here.”</p><p>Kurt called the team in, requesting heat signature scanners. They didn't need them.</p><p>“Oh, no,” Moira said from the corner. She lifted a laptop from a shelf, and they could see the wires hanging out of it, far more than there should have been.</p><p>Kitty gasped. “What the hell is that?” Techno-organic wiring spilled out of the laptop, snaking into the wall port. It looked like alien tendrils, something from a science fiction horror movie.</p><p>Douglock walked over and pulled on the wiring, with no luck. The more he pulled, the more came out. “It will have to be severed,” he said. “But it will grow back.”</p><p>Kurt looked at Douglock and the computer. “Can you destroy it?”</p><p>“I can eliminate the techno-organic invasion on this computer.”</p><p>“Then do it.” He turned to the rest of them. “Meet me in the living room in five minutes. Moira, Kitty, wait here.”</p><p>Douglock took the laptop out of the room, thin tendrils of circuitry whipping along behind him, straining to reconnect. The rest of the team headed out to the main room, Rogue throwing a suspicious glance over her shoulder.</p><p>Once gone, Kurt let his concern show. “Obviously this is bad news. Moira, I think we <em>need</em> to destroy the protocols.”</p><p>“But Charles entrusted them to me. They're the last thing he asked of me.” It was the same argument she'd made each time Kurt brought it up, and he was beginning to lose his patience with her.</p><p>“I understand that. But as long as they exist, we are all in danger. It takes only one breach to lose them and once they're in someone else's hands, we can't get them back.”</p><p>Moira's shoulders slumped. “Och, I don't know, Kurt. You're asking a lot.”</p><p>“Moira are you telling me that you are willing to let Rogue and Piotr and myself <em>die</em> so that Charles Xavier's <em>files</em> might be preserved?”</p><p>“No...”</p><p>“Then for God's sake, Moira. Do the right thing.”</p><p>Kitty stood quietly to one side, thinking about the circuitry and whether or not it had invaded the rest of the center enough to regenerate in spite of Douglock's efforts. Something about it nagged at the back of her mind, a familiarity that shouldn't have been there. She didn't understand it.</p><p>“Kitty, let's go in the hall and talk a moment.”</p><p>She followed him out, stomach fluttering from nerves and the sense of wrongness that had invaded. “That was the laptop you brought back from London, <em>ja</em>?”</p><p>“Yeah. Moira took it when we got here and I forgot about it. I meant to look it over...”</p><p>“I think it's obvious what's going on here. Isn't it?”</p><p>“Black Air?”</p><p>“Yes. And possibly also the Hellfire Club. Perhaps both. Perhaps they even had someone on the inside helping them.”</p><p>Oh. That's where this was going. Someone on the inside could only be Pete or her. And they'd worked with Pete a lot longer. Kurt kept his back to her. Minutes earlier he'd seemed about to kiss her, and now he wouldn't touch her, wouldn't even look at her. She felt the nerves in her stomach turn to lead.</p><p>“Someone on the inside?” she whispered, her throat tight.</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, and it seems obvious who it is. Don't you agree?”</p><p>He thought she was still working against them. She flashed hot, then cold. She was dizzy, and put a hand on the wall to steady herself. Without knowing why, she felt sure he must be right.</p><p>She nodded weakly, and her voice was just air without sound. “Yeah.”</p><p>“I need to speak to Moira and the others about this,” he said, and without looking back at her, he went back into the computer lab.</p><p>“Okay.” She decided in the moment she watched him walk away, tail swinging behind him, that she wouldn't stay and listen to him call her a traitor. She realized it was probably the last time she'd see him, maybe ever. She hurried up to her room, threw the essentials in a bag, and left.</p><p>She had let herself believe she was part of their team. Their <em>family</em>. No matter how many times she worked with them, saved their lives, fixed their equipment, protected them, and helped them, there was still a seed of doubt in their minds. No matter how Kurt vouched for her, or how Meggan enjoyed shopping with her, the truth was, ultimately, they didn't trust her. Not even Kurt. Not when it mattered.</p><p>If Kurt didn't trust her, there was no reason to stay. Strangest of all was that she didn't trust herself, either.</p><p>The best thing would be to quit the team before they could make their accusations. She didn't think she could bear to hear Kurt say aloud that he believed she was betraying them. Hadn't Kurt once said her life was only changing course? Maybe it wasn't done with those course corrections yet.</p>
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<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Suspicions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Moira was typing when Kurt came in to speak to her. “I think Pete may still be working for Black Air,” he said.</p><p>“You think he planted the laptop? It was Kitty who brought it back.”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, I know she did, but she...I don't think she had anything to do with it. Pete though...He's got a long history with them, and being a spy is his job. He could easily have chosen that laptop to plant the techno-virus to deflect blame from himself onto Kitty.”</p><p>“That seems like a lot of work when he could have probably walked right into that room with her.”</p><p>“She wouldn't let him. She's terrified of someone getting those Protocols.”</p><p>“I don't really think she'd do it, either, but Kurt, you have to admit it's questionable. She was Hellfire before, and she brought the computer back and never touched it.”</p><p>“You weren't there, Moira. Her boyfriend put a collar on her and left her inside the Black Air building, <em>knowing</em> I was going to level it. Knowing he'd essentially crippled her. They wanted her to die.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Kurt stood in the living room and addressed his team. “I've come to a conclusion about this computer business. I think it's possible someone has capitalized on our mistake, bringing this computer back with us. And I have a good suspicion who it is. I think Kitty agrees.”</p><p>“Black Air and Hellfire,” Pete said, digging a cigarette from his pocket.</p><p>Kurt replied, watching Pete carefully. Smart of him to speak up first and deflect suspicion. “Who else would it be? They've got the technology to do it, and Hellfire has the money to back whatever Black Air does. The only thing I can't figure yet is how they knew we had the laptop.”</p><p>“That's easy,” Pete said. “Probably has a tracker in it. When they saw it was here, all they had to do was activate the techno-organic software remotely and it would do its thing, no help from anyone.”</p><p>“How would they know we'd bring it here?” Kurt prodded.</p><p>Pete shrugged. “They didn't. It's pretty standard Black Air procedure. Keep track of their assets and their people.”</p><p>“You don't think Kitty had anything to do with it, do you?” Rogue said.</p><p>Kurt shook his head. “No. No, not a chance. She's loyal to our team and has not given us a single reason not to trust her since she joined us.”</p><p>“Then where is she?” Rogue said.</p><p>He looked around, realizing with a start that she hadn't followed him in.</p><p>“Let me call her down.” It was odd, but maybe she was upset about Pete being implicated. They were strangely close, after all. He'd never understand it.</p><p>Kurt got no response when he buzzed her room through the intercom, so he requested her location from the computer.</p><p>“Kitty Pryde is not on Muir Island,” it reported.</p><p>Kurt scratched his head. Maybe the virus had infiltrated the main computer as well. He made the request again with the same results, tested it with his other teammates and Moira and even Douglock, who was out of the building.</p><p>“Kitty Pryde is not on Muir Island.”</p><p>Kurt's disbelief became confusion, then shock, fear, and anger in turn. The warring emotions coursed through him and turned his face numb. Without a word, he went to the comm suite and pulled up the surveillance. He felt sick.</p><p>Kitty was working against them. It was the only explanation. Why else would she leave?</p><p>“Kurt?” He turned to see Moira in the doorway.</p><p>“She's gone.”</p><p>“I know it.”</p><p>He shook his head, hands braced on the table as he tried to sort out what he was feeling. Moira pulled a chair over. “What happened?” she said.</p><p>“She's <em>gone</em>.”</p><p>“I understand.” Moira was surprisingly calm. “When you talked to her. What happened?”</p><p>“I...I don't know. I told her I thought it was obvious. Wasn't it obvious, Moira? It had to be Pete...”</p><p>“Then why is she gone?” Moira asked.</p><p>He put his face in his hands. “I don't think I mentioned... She thinks we <em>blame</em> <em>her</em>, that's why she left. It has to be.”</p><p>“It certainly doesn't look good for her. She had access to everything, including the Protocol Room, Cerebro, the computers with my Legacy Virus research, everything.”</p><p>“<em>Mein Gott</em>, Moira, it <em>must</em> be her.” His thoughts were a jumble of back and forth uncertainty, flashing from her guilt to her innocence and every shade of gray in between. She'd brought the laptop back. Had she known what it would do? <em>Oh, Lord</em>, he thought, <em>if she's got the Protocols...it would be a nightmare</em>. It could mean the deaths of all of them. He felt nauseous.</p><p>He returned to the team, feeling like a failure. He'd let them all down, every face turned to him, waiting for his plan. His plans had failed them.</p><p>“Kitty...” he began, his voice failing now. He cleared his throat and started over. “Kitty has left. I don't know why, or what this means. I...I don't know anything. But I'm going to find her and bring her back to give us some answers. God save us if she's got the Protocols.”</p><p>“Kitty didn't double cross you,” Pete said with conviction. He was in the corner, leaning against a wall. For a heartbeat, Kurt thought Pete might confess something, try to save her.</p><p>“Then why did she leave?” Rogue said, whirling.</p><p>Pete shrugged. “Don't know, but I've worked with enough spies to tell you, she ain't one.”</p><p>“That girl's been trouble since she came here an' planted that bomb two years ago!” Rogue said, her fists clenched, looking ready to go after her again, as she had the first time.</p><p>“I don't know what's going on,” Kurt said, struggling to be calm. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. “I'm going to find out. Any questions?”</p><p>Shocked faces nodded, no others daring to risk the anger of their obviously distraught team leader. Kurt didn't get angry often, but when he did, they kept their distance.</p><p>“<em>Sehr gut</em>. I'm going to find her. All of you stay here until I return.”</p><p>“I'm coming too,” Pete insisted.</p><p>“I want you here, Pete. Call your contacts, find out what Black Air already knows. Find out what she's—find out what they've acquired.”</p><p>The <em>Runner</em> was still being repaired after its dive into a Venice canal, but the <em>Flit</em> had everything he needed to search for Kitty. He turned on the bioscanner as soon as he was in the air, and headed towards the signal. She hadn't gone far, just across to the mainland. It looked like she might have gone to the pub, and she was still there. Maybe she was scared, or...A tight ball of hope unfurled. Maybe she wasn't really running. Maybe she was only drowning her sorrow, thinking Pete was working against them. He let himself hope, but the logical part of him, the part that had been doing this for too long, didn't believe it. He set the <em>Flit</em> to hover and teleported down. Inside, the pub was crowded on a Friday night, but he went straight to Annie behind the bar.</p><p>“Have you seen Kitty?”</p><p>“Aye, she was here about an hour ago. Took her dinner to the corner.” Annie jerked her thumb towards the far corner near the jukebox.</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>He wove through the tables, the few curious eyes taking in his unusual appearance easily ignored. She wasn't in the corner, but she'd left her half eaten meal behind. She must have seen him, or heard the <em>Flit</em>, and run again. He knocked on the ladies' room door and called her name, then sent Annie in, but she wasn't there. With her phasing ability, she could be anywhere.</p><p>“Annie, listen, if you see her, please tell her I want to talk to her. Tell her...just tell her....” Tell her what? That he wouldn't slap a collar on her? That he'd believe every word she said, if only she'd come back? “Tell her I'm looking for her.”</p><p>Annie gave him a funny look but agreed to pass on the message. Kurt stalked back to the <em>Flit</em>, and as he was about to teleport inside, he spotted a distinctive looking limousine pulling away from the pub. A Hellfire Club limousine. As much as he wanted to believe she hadn't betrayed them, the evidence was piling up against her in the worst way. What else would a Hellfire Club limo be doing at a pub in the Middle of Nowhere, Scotland, if not to pick up their recently revealed enemy? He slammed his palm onto the console in shame and anger.</p><p>He felt like such a fool his limbs shook. He'd brought her onto his team, asked her, no, <em>insisted</em> she join. <em>Gott</em>, how she must have laughed at him. She certainly played the part well, with rookie mistakes, <span>na</span><span>ï</span><span>ve</span> assumptions, and expressions of unwarranted guilt. She was good, he had to admit.</p><p>Too many deceptions in his life had made him guarded, but she had ghosted through his walls as she did the most substantial real-world barriers. He'd opened his heart to her without hesitation, given her the <em>verdammt</em> key, ignored everything he'd learned from everyone who came before. And he was paying the price again. Worst of all, he still loved her. Even now, knowing she was taking his secrets to Emma Frost, he wanted her back.</p><p>She had played him perfectly.</p><p>
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</p><p>He kept the <em>Flit</em> in stealth mode and followed the limo through the winding country roads, running through his options. He'd have to deal with his pain and guilt later. Now, he had to work, to focus on cutting their losses. If she was giving them the protocols, she'd probably already done it. He had to get her back and find out what she knew before he made any other moves.</p>
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<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Running into Trouble</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter contains some unpleasant stuff.  Nothing really bad happens, but Kitty gets beat up and the Hellfire Club people make some pretty heavy implications as to what they're going to expect from her.</p><p>Reader be safe.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Looking back, Kitty cursed her dumb luck, the ferry being docked at Muir when she ran. She stepped onto the mainland dock not knowing where she'd go or how she'd get there. She only knew she had to get away before he said those things about her. She still had her bank card from Excalibur, and some cash, but it felt wrong to use it. Still, she hadn't had any dinner, so she stopped at the pub for a quick bite. She left it on their tab, even though it felt wrong to do so, but she might need her cash later.</p><p>Annie greeted her cheerfully, and Kitty faked a smile as she ordered. She sat in the corner, half-hidden by the jukebox, and picked at her meal, trying to stay out of sight. She heard the <em>Flit</em> before she saw it, and her heart leaped into her throat. They had probably come looking for her, to lock her away. They'd put an inhibitor collar on her again, as she'd worn when she was taken there from the Massachusetts Academy team. It would be humiliating. Kitty hurried to the ladies' room and patted her clothes down, wondering if they'd put a tracker on her, like the Hellfire Club had used. Abandoning the rest of her meal, she phased through the wall, ready to run. Behind the pub, she flattened herself against the greasy bricks near the trash and peered around the corner, waiting to see what the team did.</p><p>It was only Kurt. He looked grave, and it made her heart ache knowing what he thought of her now. Not that she could blame him, honestly. After all, he'd been there when she turned on her first team. She held back tears as she considered what he must think of her—a traitor and liar, planted by the Hellfire Club for whatever devious purpose they had come up with. He probably thought her team had left her behind as a ruse to get him to take her with him, just as he'd done.</p><p>Frost had probably read her mind and knew all about her little midnight chat with Kurt. She probably knew that Kitty dreamed about him and cared about him. Kurt would think Frost had leaked the intel that sent his team to the Acquisition Station. He'd assume Frost was counting on his gentle heart to take her in when she was left behind. And he'd think she'd been lying to him all this time. She couldn't think of a way to convince him of the truth. Everything she thought of sounded like another lie.</p><p>Kurt was alone, which was how he'd found her last time. It felt like such a long time ago, when he'd asked to play that stupid game with her. She shook her head and slipped through the shadows behind the pub, heading for the road. It didn't matter why he was alone, or even why he was here. The space behind her sternum felt empty and twisted up, like a washcloth being wrung out. She wanted to talk to him one last time, and she paused, waffling with indecision. He had always been more than fair with her. Maybe he'd listen. She turned to go back inside, but instead of the dumpster, she came face to face with two huge burly men, one of whom immediately slapped an inhibitor collar on her neck.</p><p><em>Stupid mistake</em>, she thought as she pulled back, kicking as the second man grabbed her arm. His grip was like a vise, and his fingers dug into the flesh of her arm. She swung her legs out, trying to dislodge his grip, but when he let go, it was only so his partner could join the attack, landing a blow to her ribs that caused her to double over and vomit up the meal she'd just eaten. The second thug kicked her in the thigh and she almost fell into it.</p><p>“Really boys, is all of that necessary? Such a tiny girl,” said a woman Kitty almost didn't recognize at first.</p><p>Kitty didn't have the energy to glare up at Emma Steed, but the first thug yanked her to her feet. Throbbing pain bloomed in her side where she'd been hit, and her eyes watered. She prayed she wouldn't pass out.</p><p>“Now, Davis, there was no need to hit her so hard. She's been disobedient, but you know better. The White Queen won't be pleased if she's damaged.”</p><p>“I apologize, my Queen.”</p><p>The White Queen? Which one, London or New York? No, the London Club had Black and Red. She must mean...</p><p>“Emma Frost won't be interested in your apologies.”</p><p>“Yes, Ms. Steed.”</p><p>So it was true. She <em>was</em> the White Queen of the Hellfire Club. Kurt hadn't been lying. But Kitty had always believed him, even before she had proof. It made her miserable knowing she'd put such trust in him with nothing to go on but his word, and he couldn't believe in her after months of working by his side.</p><p>Kitty didn't argue with her. If the woman had expected it, she must have been quite disappointed. She gestured to her thugs and they followed her farther into the shadows to the waiting car. Kitty couldn't fight, she was in too much pain. Any twisting or jerking motions to get free of their grips sent streaks of pain up her side. The limousine was extra long and pristine white, with the Hellfire Logo on the back. She recognized it as almost the same logo from the car that had driven her from Chicago to Massachusetts years ago. This one was from the London Club.</p><p>Kitty wanted to scream for Kurt, knowing he was so close, but she could hardly breathe, let alone yell. The second thug, Davis, threw her into the backseat and she was shoved roughly between him and the other huge man. A third waited behind the wheel, while Ms. Steed reclined near the dividing window, a glass of wine held casually between her fingers. Kitty focused on her, trying to think through the pain. She wasn't going willingly with these people, but she needed a plan. Her hands were pinned awkwardly behind her back, and her side hurt so badly she saw stars if she breathed too deeply. If she acted resigned, and pretended she'd given up, maybe she could run when they stopped the car and let her out.</p><p>The Black Queen continued speaking, and Kitty studied her. She was dressed in something Kitty could only call lingerie. Why would anyone go around in public like that?</p><p>“You are a difficult girl to retrieve,” she said. “Even when we knew you were with Excalibur, they didn't leave you alone much. That demon has taken a bit of a liking to you, the poor sad thing.”</p><p>Talking was out of the question for Kitty, though she desperately wanted to tell her off. Kurt wasn't a <em>thing</em>, he was a man, a very kind and gentle man who cared about her more than nearly anyone she'd ever known. That thought surprised her, and she held on to it until she realized it was stupid and wrong. It hit her that Kurt had probably gone to the bar to buy celebratory German beer, not to look for her. He wouldn't even know she'd been there unless Annie said something to him.</p><p>Kitty stared out the window as the car navigated the back roads and pulled into a private garage at Heathrow Airport. Ms. Steed's men dragged her out of the car, making her vision go white with pain more than once as they heaved her into the waiting aircraft. So much for her plan to run.</p><p>“If she dies because you've manhandled her, it'll be your hides to pay,” she growled.</p><p>Aboard the plane, Kitty was shocked once more at the appearance of Emma Frost, in bustier and panties rather than the slick black leather bodysuit Ms. Steed wore. The two women spoke briefly, and Ms. Steed left just before the plane took off.</p><p>Kitty was trapped, wounded, and now airborne. She needed a new plan. Her hands were still locked behind her, and while she could probably bend her knees high enough to slip her arms around front, she certainly couldn't do it with ribs that might be broken. Which meant the idea of parachuting out was also not a good one—fainting before the chute opened would be bad. Plus she was pretty certain they were over the Atlantic Ocean already.</p><p>Frost poured something stronger than wine. Kitty could smell it from across the aisle where she leaned against the side of the plane's interior trying to breathe shallowly so it didn't hurt.</p><p>“Boys, search her,” Frost said, a slight smile curving her red lips. Kitty tried uselessly to back into the wall of the plane, but one man yanked her to her feet and pain shot through her side again. The other ripped at her shirt, and she blacked out completely.</p><p>She woke in her underwear, hands still bound behind her, on the floor of the plane. She couldn't see anything except the feet of one of the thugs in his seat.</p><p>Frost spoke to her. “Finally. A shame you missed the fun.” Kitty made a wrenching sound of outrage and Frost laughed.</p><p>“Don't worry, darling, I didn't allow them to take any liberties with you. Not yet anyway.” She sipped her drink. “Put her in the seat, Haynes.”</p><p>She was hauled upright again, and this time she cried out. He dumped her unceremoniously into the seat, slamming her elbow against the metal arm of the seat and her head against the wall. Tears streamed down her cheeks against her will.</p><p>“I don't like traitors. I had plans for you, Miss Pryde. I would have made you powerful. Now...” she laughed. “You'll wish you'd never left.”</p><p>Plans. She needed a plan and she needed it now. Maybe Kurt's assumption that she was working for Black Air could save her after all. Or at least buy her some time.</p><p>“You're...an <em>idiot</em>,” Kitty breathed.</p><p>Frost's hand shot out and slapped her hard enough to knock her head to the side. Kitty's vision swam but she held on to consciousness.</p><p>“How dare you!”</p><p>“<em>Listen</em>,” Kitty gritted out. “I've been... <em>spying</em> on them.”</p><p>Frost gave her a dubious, appraising look. “I'm sure you'd like me to believe that, darling. If only you knew how truly you spoke.”</p><p>“What?” Kitty felt the blood draining from her face.</p><p>Frost shrugged. “I ask the questions. Tell me what it is you <em>think</em> you did for us.”</p><p>Kitty squeezed her eyes shut. Her life could be on the line. She had to convince this woman, this <em>telepath</em>, that she had been spying on her behalf the whole time. She had to convince herself, too, or Frost would know it. But what did Frost mean she was speaking the truth?</p><p>Kitty tried to get more comfortable in the seat—impossible with her hands tied behind her back. “They're gullible...told me everything.”</p><p>Frost seemed to be laughing and Kitty could feel her poking around in her head. Kitty focused on how much Kurt hated her now, how he believed she was a traitor. She repeated to herself her desire to return to the Academy, to her real team, to go to college. It was easier than it should have been.</p><p>“Poor little fool,” she said. “You've done quite a bit more for us than you realize.” Frost leaned forward.</p><p>Kitty didn't understand what Frost was talking about, but she stumbled forward with her idea. “I didn't have...a chance to get away...from them. Always watching.” Frost narrowed her eyes, obviously not buying it. Kitty didn't care, she just needed time to escape. She didn't need to fool them for long.</p><p>“I really liked you, Kitty. I did. I wanted great things for you, but you couldn't keep your mind on what <em>mattered</em>. I never should have sent you to Muir Island. No matter. You'll be dealt with, and I'm sure you'll be quite sorry you picked the wrong side.”</p><p>Frost stopped talking to her. When they landed, Kitty discovered she'd dozed off, or passed out. They were back in the US, but it wasn't Massachusetts. They were at La Guardia airport in New York, according to the signs. That meant she was being taken to the Hellfire Club in New York instead of the school in Massachusetts. She couldn't decide if which was worse.</p><p>Frost laughed at her confusion. “You didn't think I'd take you back to the <em>school</em>, did you? As far as they're concerned, you don't exist anymore. Nick is dating Isla now. They make such a cute couple. I think he's much happier with her than he was with you.”</p><p>Kitty didn't care. If Frost thought that would bother her, she obviously hadn't done a good job reading Kitty's mind. The thugs carried her off the plane, shoving her into the back of another limousine, still in her underwear. It was cold out, too, late fall, and the car had been sitting in the private garage for a while. Kitty shivered, which hurt.</p><p>From La Guardia, they were chauffeured through the city past the infamous front gates of the New York Hellfire Club building and around to the back. They pulled into a huge garage, connected to the main building by an enclosed passageway. Even the garage was stately. Kitty barely glanced at the ornate architecture that spoke of wealth, noting the security system sensors on the windows, and the well-hidden electric current control for the metal fence. This place was probably a real challenge to get into or out of.</p><p>She was made to walk now, pressed between the two thugs and following Frost. They entered through the back, which opened onto a long hallway that ran from front to back of the shotgun style building. The carpet beneath her bare feet was like walking on a velvet pillow, it was so thick and lush. Frost opened one of the doors and ushered Kitty into an opulent room. The fabrics were expensive, the trims ornate, and the fixtures looked like real gold. Frost took a seat in a plush chair behind an antique mahogany desk and gestured to the guards to deposit Kitty in a chair. Then they left, probably taking up stations outside the door in case Kitty tried anything.</p><p>“All right, darling, tell me your little story. I can tell you're eager.”</p><p>Kitty swallowed and put on her most confident air. “When Excalibur took me...I knew I had to fix...my mistakes...Screwed up...So I lied to them. Thought they had...Phoenix. Without her, much easier.”</p><p>“So...you didn't tell your <em>own team</em> about your plan?” Frost was watching her with amusement, and Kitty doggedly continued. Why did Frost look so smug?</p><p>“No. Came up with it later.” She leaned to the side, where her ribs were broken, she assumed, or at least badly cracked and bruised, trying to manage the pain.</p><p>Frost pressed a button on her desk and a guard came in. “This is ridiculous. I can't talk to her when she's like this. Get her out of the cuffs but leave the collar on. And for god's sake bring a hypo of painkillers.”</p><p>As soon as her hands were released, she pressed against her ribs, wincing but feeling a little relief at last. She didn't see the other guard bring the syringe, and jerked as it went in, sending her into another dizzy spell.</p><p>“Dammit,” Frost muttered. “Why do we hire such imbeciles?”</p><p>When Kitty could think again, she realized that whatever was in the hypo was working, fast and strong, and she was determined to get the rest of her concocted story out as fast as she could.</p><p>“I knew I had failed. But when Excalibur took me into custody, I realized I could still do some good. I could make them trust me, and spy on them. Nightcrawler, god, he <em>especially</em> fell for it. That <em>freak</em> has got to be the most gullible jackass I've ever met. I have information about Phoenix's location, Magneto's latest research, Professor Xavier's return from space, and Excalibur's next project.” It hurt to say those things about Kurt, but she was desperate to convince Frost. Her life hung in the balance.</p><p>Frost eyed her. “Is that so? Why were you at the pub then?”</p><p>“The team started getting suspicious and Nightcrawler was making blind guesses. With all their recent missions failing so spectacularly, they began to suspect me. I decided to leave while I had the chance, and share what I knew already. If I had stayed, they may have guessed the truth, or at least stopped me from getting the information to you.”</p><p>“Mm. You helped them free Douglock, and caused the London Club to lose their Red Queen.”</p><p>“I <em>had</em> to so they'd trust me.” She grinned.</p><p>“I see. At least you took the laptop with you.”</p><p>How did Frost know about that?</p><p>“Unfortunately, you also ruined a plan we had been working on for quite some time.”</p><p>“I didn't know. I'm sorry. I was trying to make things right. I know I failed you.” Kitty looked as contrite as she could, and cast her eyes downward.</p><p>Frost sat silently for a long time, and Kitty could feel her picking away in her brain again. She concentrated on Kurt's distrust and the way he'd told her it was obvious who was working against them. For now at least, Frost seemed appeased. Then she laughed.</p><p>“Yes, you failed to retrieve the parts we needed. Fortunately, Nick's team was able to locate them elsewhere. Tell me what you know about the Xavier Protocols.” Frost said, tapping her fingers on the table.</p><p>“I don't know what those are.” She prayed her face and mind were blank.</p><p>“Yes you do. That's why you've been trying to get them for us.”</p><p>Kitty couldn't take it anymore. She had to know what Frost meant, all the weird hints she was dropping, suggesting Kitty was already spying. Was there a real bug?</p><p>“What are you talking about?”</p><p>Frost laughed again.</p><p>“Who do you think caused all that trouble with your keypads? That was you, darling.”</p><p>“I don't know what you mean,” Kitty stammered, but she was sure now that Frost knew everything. She was only toying with her, letting her make a fool of herself. Suddenly Kitty didn't want to pretend she was still on their side. She wanted to stand up and yell that she would never work for Frost, never side with her or help her.</p><p>“Tell me what the MLF was looking for?” Frost said.</p><p>“Go to hell.”</p><p>Frost eyed her again. “You're a very stupid girl,” she finally said. “But you are still of use to us. I'll meet with the Royalty tonight and decide your fate.” She called one of the guards over. “Take her to a room and lock her in. But feed her.”</p><p>Kitty followed after thanking Frost for giving her a chance to explain. She wondered how long until they killed her. Probably not long. Definitely not long enough to come up with a plan and escape.</p><p>The room was spartan but clean, obviously a room where guests of no importance were taken. That suited her fine. She just wanted to lie down and rest and plan. She didn't trust anyone here, but Frost said she was going to be useful to them. She guessed they were going to have her working on their Cerebro. Kitty wouldn't do it. She'd refuse. A guard brought a tray of food in and set it on a small table at the side of the bed. Kitty pulled the sheets around her shoulders, not moving until the guard was gone. She ate everything, and only afterwards did she think to wonder if it was poisoned. If it was, it was too late to do anything about it now.</p><p>Her ribs were already beginning to ache again, and she lay back on the bed to scheme. No one was coming for her, but Kitty wasn't giving up. She'd figure things out, find a way out of this mess. Maybe she could make it to Xavier's. The school was in New York. Maybe she could apologize to them and maybe they wouldn't kill her.</p><p>She was startled awake by someone banging her door into the wall. She had to roll off the bed to stand up when the guard informed her she was required for an audience with the royalty.</p><p>The large room was dimly lit, with a long table to one side full of food, and another table across the room where the members of Hellfire Royalty lounged. She spotted Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw, swallowed nervously, and prayed that when they killed her, it was quick. She tried to appear confident, but watching Shaw's predatory gaze while dressed only in her cotton underwear made it hard. Kitty believed Kurt had told her the truth about Shaw, and he frightened her far more than Emma Frost did. He could tell, and he liked it.</p><p>“I see they finally found our wayward 'daughter',” he said with a wicked grin. “Interesting that you tried to fool us by claiming you spied on Excalibur. Even more interesting that you were doing exactly that.” He grinned as he stood up and came around the table, pleased that she was trembling. Kitty tried valiantly not to, but fear and pain won out. He shook his head and stepped closer to her. Intimidation was one of his many tactics in controlling other people, but even knowing that, Kitty was afraid of him.</p><p>“I came up with the plan after they abducted me,” Kitty said, failing to keep her voice steady.</p><p>Shaw laid his hands on her bare shoulders and ran them down her arms, studying her body like it was on a test. “Your lies aren't helping you. We know what you've been up to, you insolent child.”</p><p>“I don't know—”</p><p>He grabbed the back of her head, his thumb digging in behind her ear so hard she cried out and sank to her knees, spots dancing in front of her eyes. “Do not dare speak to me,” he said. “Fortunately for you, Ms. Frost and I still need you, so you won't die today. But you will be punished.”</p><p>Shaw let her fall to the floor, where she collapsed until the shooting pain in her side eased. She pushed slowly to her feet. Shaw continued to stride around her in a circle. “You've been a true thorn in my side for years now. I mean to get what I want and be rid of you.”</p><p>He shoved her at a guard and snapped, “Take her to room B.”</p><p>Shaw turned to the rest of the Royalty and Kitty heard him say, “She'll be punished, and then, Ms. Frost, you'll see to it she does what she's told.”</p><p>The guard herded her ahead of him down the hallway, around a corner, and farther down until they stopped at a room labeled “B.” <em>Torture chamber</em>?</p><p>Inside it looked like a plush hotel room. In the center of the room was a huge bed. Kitty couldn't swallow, her mouth was too dry. The guard left her standing at the foot of the bed and locked the door. Outside, she could hear his laughter. Not until she spoke did Kitty finally notice another woman sitting at a small vanity, dressed similarly to Frost.</p><p>“Call me Charity. Do as I say and things will go easier,” she said, brandishing a knife she pulled from a hip holster. Charity leaned forward. “Shaw's watching you,” she said, her smile wicked and soulless.</p><p>“Go in there and undress. Clean yourself. That shitty dime store underwear is filthy.”</p><p>“My ribs are broken,” she said to Charity, who grabbed scissors from the desk and cut it off in an impatient huff.</p><p>“Hurry up. They are waiting.”</p><p>When she came out, Charity had pulled several things from drawers and the closet and laid them on the bed. “See what fits.”</p><p>Kitty looked at the flimsy pieces and realized it was all lingerie. With trembling hands she looked for anything that might cover her, knowing all the while it didn't really matter. She knew what her punishment was going to be. Maybe she should refuse now and let them kill her. They wanted her for something but Shaw meant to kill her later, she was sure of it. Would he kill her now, before she could help them, if she was disobedient enough? She picked up a blue one.</p><p>“Hurry up and put it on,” Charity snapped. After watching Kitty struggle for a few seconds, Charity's impatience had her yanking it over Kitty's chest and doing up the eye hooks in back. Kitty tried not to pass out from the pain. The pain from under her ear radiated along her jaw and down her neck, and she was sure it was bruised, too.</p><p>When Kitty was 'dressed,' a term she used loosely, Charity showed her a mirror. Kitty could see the bruised ribs through the mesh on the side of the corset, and the back half of her jaw was purple. Her cheek was pink and slightly swollen as well, from Frost's earlier slap. The woman could hit hard.</p><p>“Shoes,” Charity said, snapping her fingers. Kitty gave her size and Charity pulled out a pair of spike heels Kitty was sure she'd fall over in. “Makeup,” Charity said, ordering Kitty to sit on a stool while Charity applied heavy makeup, covering the bruise along her jaw and the slight swelling and discoloration of her cheekbone. She also applied makeup to Kitty's arm and hip, anywhere she found a visible bruise or blemish. Dark lipstick and heavy eye makeup were next, and then Charity pulled her hair up into a loose chignon.</p><p>“There. Now you're presentable. Out,” she said and opened the door. The guard was waiting. He looked her up and down with a nasty smirk on his face, and licked his lips, but said nothing. He escorted her back to the meeting room, where the royalty were waiting.</p><p>Shaw turned when the door opened. His face radiated pure evil, and he moved towards her like a serpent about to strike. He fiddled with his cufflinks as he appraised her.</p><p>“That's much better. We're going to have guests tonight,” he said. “You will serve them with a smile and be gracious and <em>maybe</em> you'll live to see the morning.” He touched her cheek, and when she tried to shrink away he hit her. “You don't want to <em>die</em>, do you? So <em>serve</em> us. If you perform adequately, we may decide to let you continue serving us.”</p><p>Shaw sent her out yet again. “Have Charity fix your makeup. You've ruined it.” Kitty left with the guard again, and she waited in the first room. If they set her working on a Cerebro, she might have a chance to escape, or maybe get word to someone. She might be able to hack her way into the Excalibur system, send a message for help. No, she'd go to the X-Men. Kurt didn't trust her, and they were closer.</p><p>Running had been stupid. Why did she do it? She should have talked to Kurt first. He would have listened to her if she reasoned with him. Maybe he didn't really believe she was a traitor after all. She was furious with herself, but all her arguments circled round to <em>Kurt thinks I'm a traitor</em>. She thought about what he was probably doing now<em>.</em> Was he watching old black and white movies or fighting pirates in the hologym alone? It didn't matter, because whatever he was doing, he was ignorant of her situation, and probably even happy she was gone. All his pretty words and actions had meant nothing in the end. One point of suspicion, and he had turned his back on her, literally. She remembered him saying he'd never leave her behind, and her eyes stung.</p><p>She forced herself to think about Frost's comments and Shaw's threats. They made it sound like she'd been working with them all along. That strange feeling, like <span>d</span><span>é</span><span>ja</span> <span>vu</span>, returned. Why did it feel like they were telling the truth? Kitty lay on her back trying not to cry, afraid of smudging the rest of her makeup or ruining her hair. She pulled the covers up to her shoulders and tried to let her body rest. It didn't matter. She was screwed.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Long after they delivered her dinner, Charity came to get her and touched up the makeup Shaw had smeared when he hit her. A guard led her down the stairs to a small prep room off the kitchen. There, a butler distributed trays of <span>hors</span> <span>d'oeuvres</span> to Kitty and several other similarly-clad young women with blank faces. Kitty was grateful not to be the only one dressed as she was, until the butler opened the door and thrust her and the others into the crowded room. There were a hundred people if there were ten. Excluding the Hellfire Club servants, every person was dressed formally. The women wore floor-length gowns, some truly lovely, and the men were in suits.</p><p>Kitty couldn't try to escape. She didn't dare run, she physically <em>couldn't</em>. But she could take note of possible escape routes, exits, security camera locations, and the like. She needed a way to remove the collar, too. There were pinholes in the back, she'd discovered while she waited in the empty room alone. If she had a safety pin or a thumbtack maybe...something small.</p><p>She held the tray closely in front of her to spare her ribs, trying not to drop it. Her ribs hurt, and her face hurt and she wandered the room silently, pausing only when a hand reached for one of the treats on the tray. It was no surprise, though much less welcome, to find that the treats on the tray were not the only things those hands reached for. She lost count of how many times someone patted or pinched her butt, or tried to do the same elsewhere. At least she could fend those off by turning away.</p><p>Kitty leaned against the wall, desperately trying to rest her feet and side, and within seconds, Charity was there. She came close to Kitty's face and snarled in her ear. “Stand up straight and keep working, or me gutting you becomes tonight's entertainment.” Kitty shot painfully to her feet, gritting her teeth to fight back the pain. Then she saw, on the floor not far from her, a brooch someone had dropped. Charity was watching. Shaw was watching. Kitty limped out into the crowd moving near the brooch but not towards it. She walked slowly, hoping for the perfect opportunity. She <em>had</em> to get that brooch. An older man with dark gray hair streaked with white came close when he took one of the last <span>hors</span> <span>d'oeuvres</span> from her tray, and she stepped back, stumbled perfectly, and fell. The man caught her as she fell, but she was able to wrap her fingers around the brooch, clutching it against her palm. He helped her to her feet while she apologized for her clumsiness and promised to bring him a new pastry. In the kitchen, she pinned the brooch inside her corset top.</p><p>The party seemed endless. She returned again and again to the kitchen, only to be sent out with more food, or wine, or brandy, or desserts. She had no concept of the time, nor of how long the party had been going on. She knew only that she was exhausted, her feet were killing her, and her side throbbed with every step. She couldn't stop limping, though more than once Charity threatened to hurt her if she didn't. She couldn't remember when she'd last had real sleep, more than an hour. It made her mind foggy and her reflexes slower, and she hated knowing it made her vulnerable.</p><p>She prayed the party would end soon so they'd either kill her or let her sleep. She didn't get her wish. She had assumed, foolishly, that when the party was over, the guests would leave. She had assumed that would be the end of it. It wasn't. The party was only the prelude to the night's real entertainment.</p><p>Many of the guests left, the ones with less social standing who hadn't warranted an overnight invitation. The ones that didn't leave began milling about with the other servers, touching their arms and faces and bodies, making their intentions for the evening perfectly clear. When the same leering older man approached her, she realized that her job for the night was far from over. <em>This</em> was what Shaw really wanted to watch her do. <em>This</em> was his test. She'd seen Shaw off and on throughout the night, sometimes taking things from her tray, sometimes following her with his eyes. He was watching her even now.</p><p>The old man strolled along beside her, sipping at a brandy and eating one of the chocolate covered strawberries she last had on her tray. He didn't say a word to her, and that made him even more frightening. When Kitty excused herself to return the tray to the kitchen, the butler sent her back out empty-handed. The man was waiting. He watched her, eyes moving over her body like a hungry animal. He still didn't say a word to her, but it wasn't necessary. She understood exactly what was expected of her.</p><p>Her heart beat wildly as she desperately tried to think of a way out. She had to get the brooch off the corset, and somehow get the collar off, all while <em>entertaining</em> this old pervert. Maybe she could knock him out somehow. A plan began to form in her mind. Knock the man out, remove her collar, take his coat and maybe even his pants if she could get the belt to cinch tightly enough. She smiled genuinely for the first time, but the smile wasn't for the man walking with her.</p><p>One by one the other servers left with their 'dates' and the man placed his hand on the back of Kitty's neck possessively, just below the inhibitor collar. She had a plan now, so she went quietly in the direction he guided her.</p><p>Shaw stopped them at the doorway, telling his guests good night.</p><p>“Kitty, I know you will make Mr. Price a <em>very</em> happy guest tonight, won't you?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>He scowled at her.</p><p>“Yes, Mr. Shaw.”</p><p>“Have a pleasant evening, Mr. Price,” Shaw said, and the man nodded at Shaw, a delighted grin on his face.</p><p>Kitty kept smiling. As long as the man wasn't a brute, she was sure she could knock him unconscious. As long as he didn't hit her ribs or knock her out first. The plan wasn't perfect, but it was all she had.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Looking for Trouble</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Again, some implications, and some lousy treatment of Kitty in general.  She's okay.  </p><p>Reader be safe.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Earlier...</p><p>At the pub in Scotland, Kurt set the <em>Flit</em> to follow the Hellfire Club limousine. When it pulled into a hangar at the airport, he wasn't able to see the transfer of occupants. His bioscanner indicated Kitty was still with them, so he continued following.</p><p>Why had the Hellfire Club been at the pub? Were they waiting for her? Had she contacted them, or had they tracked her? She must have called them from Muir, but when? How had they gotten to her so quickly? A million questions assailed him. Now they were taking her back there, probably to New York, judging by the route. He wondered if the New York club had been waiting in England all this time, or if they'd arranged with the London branch to pick her up and deliver her.</p><p>Every new discovery convinced him more and more that Kitty was nothing but a manipulative traitor determined to help Emma Frost bring down his team. It made him sick and angry, but mostly it <em>hurt</em>. Until he arrived at the pub and found her with them, he had clung to the tiniest spark of hope that she was innocent, that it was all some sort of bizarre misunderstanding. Now, all he could see was a liar where before he'd had a friend.</p><p>He followed the jet, using the time to formulate a plan. He probably should have returned for the rest of the team, but truthfully, he didn't want to involve them. There was a personal aspect to this for him, and in spite of a thousand alarms telling him he was flying into a trap—<em>her</em> trap—he wanted to do this alone.</p><p>He wasn't in uniform, but there were always spares in the jet, and a spare image inducer or three as well. He had food, comlinks, and emergency supplies. If need be, the jet had an auto-return function as well. He called up Muir Island.</p><p>“Moira MacTaggert for Muir Island,” came the answer.</p><p>“Moira, it's Kurt. How are things?”</p><p>“Fine here. What's your status?”</p><p>“Sort of. It's a bit complicated. I'm on my way to the US right now.”</p><p>“The United States? What about the rest of them, what if it's not Kitty, you're just leaving—”</p><p>“<em>Moira</em>. Did Kitty make any calls before she left?”</p><p>Moira took a few minutes to look up the information. “No, nothing from Kitty. She never makes phone calls.”</p><p>“Emails? Transmissions of any kind?”</p><p>“No, Kurt, nothing.”</p><p>“See if you can find any other means of communication, something in her room maybe, something...She had to make contact somehow.”</p><p>“Unless she didn't.”</p><p>Kurt hissed out a frustrated breath. “Moira, please, just look, and let me know if you find anything. Monitor the Protocol room and Cerebro. See if anyone downloaded anything.”</p><p>Kurt cut the connection before she could start arguing. If Kitty hadn't sent messages to Frost's people from Muir, then how had they known to be there? Did she have some kind of hidden tech? He hadn't bothered to search her or her old uniform when he brought her to the island. Now he kicked himself for falling for her innocent act. Those big, dark eyes looking up at him, full of fear and uncertainty and trust. She was a good actress. Better even than his sister. And he was a bigger fool than ever.</p><p>Following the Hellfire Club to New York was crazy and he knew it. He didn't need any more proof. He already had a mountain of evidence against her, enough by far to brand her a traitor and add her to the list of their enemies. He'd be astronomically outnumbered if he was caught, and might even be falling for their ploy. In fact, he considered that she might have suspected he'd follow, that it was all an elaborate setup. He tried to imagine Kitty, plotting with Emma Frost to capture the leader of Excalibur, whom she'd played into her hands like a lovesick puppy dog. It fueled his anger and determination to find her and see the truth for himself. He didn't turn the jet around.</p><p>He spent much of the long trip—long because he had to fly at the speed of the Hellfire Club's jet, which meant almost six hours instead of the two he had grown accustomed to—trying to analyze Kitty. Their first meeting years ago she had obviously been an amateur, scared, and confused, but brave, too, he thought. She was convinced she was doing the right thing at the time, and he believed her when she said she didn't bring the bomb—at least, she didn't know about it. He had suspected Frost even then, but there were others she could have been working with at the time. He wondered now if she really had known about that bomb after all. How long had she been fooling him?</p><p>The second time he met her, at the Acquisition Station, she seemed more determined, but just as scared. Scared for other people that time. She hadn't wanted to fight, or so he thought, and she'd even prevented him from being shot at least once during the course of it. She'd done those things even though it caused her team to turn on her. He considered that it could have been their plan all along, to make her look like a traitor, so he would feel sorry for her and take her in, exactly as he'd done. The man who'd left her behind had supposedly been her boyfriend. He wondered if they were still together, laughing behind his back at his obvious feelings for Kitty.</p><p>Kitty would have told Frost everything. Up until the point she went to Muir with them, Kurt could see a plan at work. It was after Muir that things seemed to get muddy. She had obviously helped rescue Douglock in order to bring the laptop back to Muir. But why then rescue him from the Sidri? That would have been an easy way to dispatch him. All she had to do was fail to make Cerebro work. The team already knew it wasn't functional. What about Pete? She must be using him to get more information, unless he was working with her. Along with those mysteries, there was the question of data transfers to and from the center, which were closely monitored. Moira had not found a single outgoing email from her account, or any anonymous account, at that. There was a huge gap of time wherein nothing seemed to fit with the idea of her working against Excalibur, and he couldn't explain it. Unless she had merely been biding her time to get to the Protocols.</p><p>That raised even more questions, though. How had she learned of the Protocols before he had? Had Frost known about them before Jean and Scott flew to Muir and told Moira? And if not, then what had Kitty been sent to retrieve? Cerebro? Legacy Virus research?</p><p>Kurt sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He was weary of betrayals. The X-Men's false deaths had left his spirit broken for a long time. Amanda's and Piotr's deceptions too, had hurt. Margali was another. His foster mother had denied knowing who his biological parents were, but Mystique laughed at that and told him he was stupid for believing her story. One of them was lying, and Mystique had nothing to gain from it. Even on other worlds, as they traveled the sidereal stream, he'd encountered people whose only goal in life it seemed was to fool others. Anjulie came to mind. Then there was Cerise, who'd been hiding the truth of her crimes behind a mask of total innocence. Now, he'd let himself believe once more that someone could be trusted, only to be fooled again.</p><p>The argument went round and round in his head, making him angry and confused. By the time he landed in New York, he was furious with both Kitty for betraying him—for betraying the <em>team</em>, he corrected, and with the Hellfire Club. He had to get to her and find out what she'd given them. Getting it back might be impossible at this point, but he might be able to find out what she knew...it didn't matter. If they had the protocols, there was little recourse for them.</p><p>He'd finally admitted it was nothing more than morbid curiosity fueling him now, the twisted desire to see her for who she really was, see her waltzing on the arm of Sebastian Shaw and laughing with Emma Frost at the fool she'd made of him. Of his team.</p><p>
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</p><p>He followed the Hellfire limo to their New York location, though he already knew where their building was located. He left the <em>Flit</em> parked in stealth and took the last block on foot, clinging to walls and running along rooftops. The car pulled around back after circling the building, but he couldn't see anything after they parked in the garage. By now, he was anxious to see her, imagining her devilish smirk as she laughed at the success of their long-term plan. The twisted part of his brain wondered if she dressed like Frost when she worked here, and he thought he might enjoy that just a little. After all she'd put him through, he decided he wouldn't even feel guilty about it.</p><p>Avoiding the security systems wasn't easy, but he had done it plenty of times before. The X-Men had years of practice spying on the Hellfire Club. He found Frost's office window easily, but the curtain was drawn. There was only a thin crack between the curtains to see in, and what he could see was very little.</p><p>Very little <em>clothing</em> on her body, but not the expensive, Hellfire-issued garments. No, they'd stripped her down to her own underwear and tied her hands behind her back and put an inhibitor collar on her. That was standard Hellfire Club procedure for captives, which meant they didn't trust her. Also interesting. Suddenly his fantasies about her strutting around in privilege began to shrivel up. He watched her through the crack, bent in pain and being shoved around by Frost's guards. He was still angry, but now that anger was directed as much at Frost as at Kitty. Then again, if she was a traitor...? He squinted, trying to see more, and thought he saw some marks on her side, possibly bruises, possibly dirt.</p><p>He put his ear to the window so he could hear better. Kitty was telling Frost in a ragged, broken voice that she'd been spying on Excalibur, and Frost was laughing at her. Kitty claimed to have knowledge of Phoenix's location (how could she know that when even <em>he</em> didn't know where she was?) and about something Magneto was researching, the professor's return (no one had heard anything about that), as well as a new project (what was that?). Were they angry that she had been found out? Was she telling Frost these things to hold on to her place in the Club? Had she really done these things and knew more about his team than he did? That didn't seem likely. And she definitely sounded like she was in pain. That was confirmed when a guard came in and undid her restraints. She doubled over, clutching her side. Then the guard shot her with a hypo of something and she continued speaking to Frost.</p><p>A little seed of doubt, or maybe it was hope, bloomed in his mind. And then Frost told her she was working for them, that she was responsible for the failing keypad, and that hope shriveled again. Kitty looked baffled.</p><p>He lifted his ear away at a sound from nearby and missed the tail end of the women's conversation. Kitty was sent away and he tried to follow her progress through the building, but she disappeared down the hall and out of view. He gave up and climbed the wall to perch outside the window of the Royal Chamber to wait. Even if Kitty didn't appear before them, he was sure to hear something useful.</p><p>The only window to their chamber was high above the street, narrow and difficult to access, but Kurt had the benefit of being able to cling to vertical surfaces. He could hear them if he put his ear to the window, and he could see them all perfectly when he wasn't listening. Shaw was there. Kurt couldn't see the man's face, but he <em>could</em> see Kitty's when they brought her in. She looked terrified. When Shaw grabbed her, Kurt wanted to leap down and defend her. That would have been nearly pointless, and before he could do anything, she was sent out again. He waited once again, anxious now, while the Hellfire Royalty strutted like peacocks for one another.</p><p>So far, he only had more questions than answers. Kurt listened to the conversation among the royalty—a party, guests, talk of trading secrets. The door opened and a scantily clad woman came in. It took him a full minute to realize it was Kitty, dressed in Hellfire Club women's garb now, the tasteless lingerie such as Emma Frost often wore. Shaw appraised her like a piece of meat, hit her, then sent her away again. Kurt heard him threaten her.</p><p>Whatever was going on, she was in danger. Traitor or not, he had to at least offer her an escape, even if he couldn't invite her back to his team. The question was <em>how</em> to help her. He had to find a way to get to her, without attracting attention, and talk to her before he risked his team to pull her out. If Shaw came after them, Kurt was smart enough to recognize that he could not beat the man on his own, and he was certain Kitty was already injured. The Royalty's earlier conversation about a party came back to him, giving him the stirrings of a plan.</p><p>First he radioed Moira again.</p><p>“Kurt, thank God, where've you been?”</p><p>“No time. Moira, I may need backup. I know the Runner's not working but—”</p><p>“It is. Brian finished.”</p><p>“Good, send a team to New York, to the Hellfire Club. I have a bad feeling about this.”</p><p>“I'll get Brian and Meggan—”</p><p>“No, no, not them. Their power doesn't work properly over here. Send Rogue and...” he hesitated to even say it, “Piotr and Amanda.”</p><p>
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</p><p>He waited across the street, not thinking about the danger he was about to put himself in for the sake of this runaway probable traitor. He watched as limousines and fancy cars pulled up to the front door of the Club and then pulled away. All had drivers. Suit-clad men and women in glittery gowns emerged and went up to the front door, where they were checked off a guest list. Kurt watched for the perfect opportunity. At last, a man got out on the street side, and Kurt was able to teleport him away when a small crowd of young people tried to talk their way into the party, only to be turned away gruffly. Leaving the anonymous man unconscious behind the bushes, and trussed up with his own necktie, Kurt adjusted the image inducer so he looked just like him, and strode up to the Club.</p><p>The guard at the door glanced at Kurt's false face, did not ask for identification, and checked him off. Kurt looked quickly at the list and learned his name was Elmer Price. He recognized the name. The man owned Price Westhouse Bank. All he had to do now was find Kitty, talk to her, and get her out, if she'd go. Maybe he could get her alone under some devious premise—the Hellfire Club was known for that type of behavior.</p><p>Once inside, he realized getting her alone was going to be almost impossible. There were easily a hundred people in the ballroom, mingling, talking, and taking food from women in underwear. There were numerous Hellfire guards—he could take them out if necessary—but Shaw was also here. He spotted Kitty serving snacks, her face set like stone as she moved stiffly through the crowd. Her eyes darted about, and he wasn't sure if it was fear or something else.</p><p>She was still wearing an inhibitor collar, of course. That was another indication she hadn't been welcomed back with open arms.</p><p>People approached him, greeting their friend and colleague, Elmer. Kurt feigned laryngitis to avoid giving himself away with his accent, and spent the evening pretending to be entertained by other rich men's distasteful stories, off-color jokes, and plans for general world domination. Masquerading as someone so well-known meant he had no opportunities to reach out to Kitty, even when he took crab dip or drinks from her tray. He tried repeatedly to catch her eye, but she stoically avoided looking at anyone.</p><p>A few times he saw men take liberties, and each time she flinched away, he wanted to elbow them in the throat. He was becoming more and more convinced she didn't want to be here. At one point a woman pulled her aside when she stopped to rest at the wall, and whatever she said must have been serious, because Kitty stood up and walked back into the crowd looking dazed. He walked her way casually, stopping to take a pastry from her tray. She fell and he caught her, saw her hand go around something glittering on the floor. He couldn't help the smile on his face as he helped her up. She apologized and offered to bring him another pastry, never realizing who he was.</p><p>Kurt became increasingly determined to get her out. The hour grew later, and as the party wound down, lesser guests began to leave. The more important guests, including himself, thankfully, began seeking out the ladies who'd been serving them all night. Kurt scanned the room for Kitty, almost shoving another man out of his way to get to her. The man recognized Kurt's false personality though, and backed off. Elmer Price must have outranked him.</p><p>Kitty was stiff and limping, and Kurt wanted to scoop her up in his arms and carry her out. She went into the kitchen with her tray, and he waited for her to return. When she returned empty-handed, her face was set, but she smiled calmly. He'd have to wait until they were alone before he could speak to her or he'd blow his cover.</p><p>The other guests headed for the hallway, so Kurt put his hand on her neck, hoping she might notice the unique shape of it and recognize him. She remained tense as she moved towards the door where he guided her. They were stalled by Shaw temporarily, then moved down the hall to the next available room. Kurt shut the door and locked it.</p>
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<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Plan of Action</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>More Hellfire Club general nastiness.  They aren't very nice people. </p><p>Reader be safe.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The man whose hand was clasped around her neck guided her down the hall to an empty room. He locked the door and released her with a leering smile. His silence was more unnerving than if he'd used harsh words with her, and the fact he hadn't pinched her butt or tried to grab her breasts should have been a relief but wasn't. Now he stood between the door and the end of the bed, watching her, waiting for her to do something. His eyes scanned the room, and she wondered what he was looking for. He turned back to her, still silent. Oh god, was <em>she</em> supposed to start this? Kitty realized there were probably cameras in all the rooms, and her hands shook at her sides when she found one, aimed at the bed. She imagined Shaw watching her with that perverted smile on his face, waiting for her to fail so he could take this stranger's place and kill her when he was done. That would make it harder to execute her plan. The man cocked an eyebrow at her but still said nothing.</p><p>Taking out the camera became her priority. How? Kitty wrapped her hand around the bedpost near her, hoping to stall for time. The man, tired of waiting, crossed the space faster than she expected from a man his age, catching her wrists in one hand as he pushed her against the wall below the camera. Kitty's knees buckled in pain as her ribs hit the wall, and she cried out. He pinned her arms above her head, a position so painful the room began to swim. His hip was shoved into her pelvis, preventing her from slipping to the floor.</p><p>“Kätzchen?”</p><p>Her head snapped up, but this wasn't Kurt, he was someone else, a German with a voice like Kurt's, using Kurt's nickname for her. He even had the same concerned look in his eyes as he studied her. It wasn't fair. If only she could get one arm free, she could knock him out, or at least get him off her. She struggled, but it was useless. He was too strong. She couldn't get leverage from the position he had her pinned. <em>Try again</em>, she thought. <em>Come up with something else</em>.</p><p>“Calm down, and stop kicking me,” the man said, shifting the way he held her so his thigh made a mortifying seat and her feet could not reach the floor.</p><p>Kitty went still, and forced herself to give him what she hoped was a beguiling smile. “I thought you <em>liked</em> it rough.”</p><p>The man balked. “What are you doing? I'm trying to help.”</p><p>“Just tell me what you want,” she purred. If she could get him off her, she could use the heel of her shoe, catch him in the temple perhaps, maybe have time to get the collar off before Shaw reached her.</p><p>“Kätzchen?” he said again, sounding so much like Kurt her eyes stung.</p><p>“Come on, let me go so I can make this fun for you.”</p><p>He dropped her and stepped back. “<em>Was ist los? Ist das echt? Du machst mit? Ich dachte<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote1sym" id="sdfootnote1anc" name="sdfootnote1anc"><sup>1</sup></a></em>...”</p><p>Kitty had to catch her breath, pressing her hand against her ribs, before she approached him. She grabbed his coat and yanked it off his shoulders, down his arms, and threw it, praying, towards the camera. It caught, hung there wavering, and stayed. She pulled off a shoe and hauled back to hit him. He blocked her easily, caught her arm, and twisted.</p><p>She shrieked, then kicked at his knees.</p><p>“Kätzchen, stop! It's me, it's Kurt!”</p><p>“Fucking liar! Kurt doesn't—” she struggled against his grip, now holding her arms and one leg. She stared down at her immobilized leg, where nothing was holding it. “Kurt?”</p><p>He relaxed his grip, and she backed away slowly, colliding with the wall again. “Kurt?” she sputtered.</p><p>“I forgot you've never seen the image inducer in action.”</p><p>He sounded exactly like Kurt, and her brain struggled to make the voice and the stranger's face mesh. She told herself it was wishful thinking, that she wanted him to save her and she was imagining his voice. She had imagined the tail around her calf. It couldn't be Kurt.</p><p>He raised a hand, noting the way she flinched, and brought it slowly to her face, stroking gently along her cheek with the backs of his fingers. Her eyes widened, and he lifted her hand to his face. She had learned about holographic image inducers in one of her classes, but she had no idea they were this realistic. Was that what he was using?</p><p>“It's me, <em>liebchen</em>, see?” The gentle tone she remembered from the first time she met him was back, and she stopped fighting him. There was no denying he felt fuzzy, like Kurt. He moved her hand up to his ear, the point concealed by the false image, as his invisible tail wound around her ankle.</p><p>Kitty blinked back tears and stammered. “<em>Kurt</em>? How?”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, it's me. I'm using a device that creates a hologram over my features. If I turn it off, we will be in more trouble than I think we already are. I'm sure that's not the only camera.” He tipped his chin at the coat covering the camera above her, that at that moment began to slip.</p><p>“I'm not going to hurt you, understand?” Kurt said, “I'm here to help. Lean forward.”</p><p>She put her chin on his shoulder, happy to sink against him even if she didn't understand why he'd come for her. She inhaled the slight brimstone scent that even the other man's coat hadn't hidden. Behind her neck, he was trying to twist something on the collar. He leaned close, his lips moving in her hair as he whispered in her ear. “Why did you run, Kätzchen?”</p><p>“I...” she swallowed, choking on her emotions. It was too much—she was exhausted, drained, in pain. And he was <em>here</em>, he'd come for her after all. “I don't <em>know</em>.”</p><p>“I know there's a catch to these <em>verdammt</em> collars, but I can't find it.” He looked into her eyes, confused, scared, and completely trusting him. He put his hand to her face. “Kätzchen, Kitty, listen, you have to be strong a little longer. Can you run?”</p><p>She didn't think so, but she'd try. She nodded and laid her hand on his arm. She returned his smile, but her face, so pink moments before, was ashen and he grew more concerned with each passing minute. They had to get out of there.</p><p>“I lied to them,” she said, surprising him as he went to the window. “But something's wrong. Frost says...they said I...” She shook her head, too confused even to explain.</p><p>“I didn't think you'd done anything until you left, and rendezvoused with Frost's people.” They would have to teleport to the ground outside the gates. He hurried back across the room for her, deciding to take the coat, too. She needed something to cover her up.</p><p>“What are you going to do with me now?” she whispered.</p><p>“I am going to take you from this place as soon as possible. We will figure out the rest when you're safe.”</p><p>She ignored him and stepped back when he would have draped the coat over her shoulders. “I don't think you should. I don't think you should take me back. Something is <em>wrong</em>, they said I'm helping them.”</p><p>He seemed like he was ignoring her, but she knew better. He was listening and thinking.</p><p>“Frost is a telepath.” He held a hand out to her, but she wouldn't take it. “There's no telling what she's been doing with you. But you aren't safe here. We can talk elsewhere but...Please, come with me.”</p><p>“Okay,” she said. “I trust you.” She tipped her cheek away at a sound from the hall, and he noticed the slightly visible bruise along her jaw where the makeup was fading.</p><p>“<em>Ach</em>, <em>liebchen</em>,” he murmured, fingers skimming over the purpling skin with a tenderness she would never expect from someone as skilled in combat as he was. And yet she already knew he could be gentle. All the endearments, soft touches, the way he was looking at her, the fact he'd come here at all and was now risking his life to save her, only made her love him more than ever.</p><p>He inspected the bruise, his false face so close to hers she could feel his breath against her skin.</p><p>“I don't like this,” she said, touching his cheek again. “I like your real face better.”</p><p>A brief flicker of shock passed across his false features. “<em>Danke</em>,” he said. He kissed her forehead, and stepped around to put the coat on her. In that second, the door slammed open, the knob smashing a hole into the drywall. Shaw. They were too late.</p><p>Shaw didn't hesitate when he burst into the room, shoving Kitty away from Kurt. She hit the bedpost and saw stars.</p><p>“Nightcrawler,” he said, glowering at Kurt, “Do you honestly think I don't know my own people? Or my <em>enemies</em>? God, the stench alone was a dead giveaway.”</p><p>Kurt clicked off the image inducer. Kitty had never imagined someone with such a demonic visage would be such a balm for her soul, but seeing him there made her throat tight with emotion.</p><p>“She's been working for us all this time,” Shaw said, stepping further into the room and grabbing her arm, leaving more bruises. “Don't you feel stupid, Nightcrawler?”</p><p>Behind Shaw, Nick stepped into the room, looking older and harder, and full of cold hate.</p><p>“There she is,” Nick said, as Shaw handed her over and advanced on Kurt. Kitty turned and jammed her elbow into Nick's stomach. Adrenaline surged as his hand shot out and fastened around her neck, above the collar. His fingers dug into the bruise along her jaw, and she couldn't even scream. “You are far more trouble than you're worth. They never should have let this go on as long as they did. I am going to <em>enjoy</em> punishing you, Kitty Pryde.”</p><p>Nick pushed Kitty into the bed, pinning her arms and knees as he laughed at her. Shaw and Kurt were locked in combat, Shaw winning easily. Every blow made him stronger and every blow took Kurt longer to recover from. Why didn't he teleport away?</p><p>“We could have been happy,” Nick growled. “Now I'm going to have a little fun before they turn you over to Frost for retraining.”</p><p>Rescue came from the most unlikely of places. “Stop it, Nicholas,” Shaw barked. “You can have her when I am finished with her.”</p><p>Nick let go begrudgingly and Kitty rolled away. Shaw had Kurt pinned and Nick continued to laugh, the whole thing an entertaining episode to him. Kitty tried to think of something, anything to get them out of there, but only one thought came to her.</p><p>Kitty's voice was hoarse. “Kurt, get out of here before they kill you.”</p><p>“I would, <em>liebchen</em>, if only I could.”</p><p>Shaw joined Nick's laughter. “The only mutants who can use their powers in these rooms,” Shaw said with a nasty gleam in his eyes, “are <em>me</em> and <em>mine</em>. I'm afraid that means your devilish would-be rescuer is at my mercy.”</p><p>“Let him go,” she begged, fighting tears of rage and fear. “I won't fight you. I'll stay here and do whatever you want.”</p><p>“Oh, you're going to do that no matter what, Ms. Pryde.”</p><p>“I'll build Cerebro. I'll—”</p><p>“Get us the Protocols.”</p><p>She hesitated, glanced at Kurt, on his side with a sword drawing blood at his throat.</p><p>“Okay,” she said quietly. “Yes. I'll do it. Just let him go, please.”</p><p>Shaw surprised her by lifting the sword. “All right,” he said, his lips curling into a smile, “We have a deal. Nicholas, take her out of here.”</p><p>Kitty couldn't see Kurt's face as Nick shoved her out of the room and down the hall. He locked her in the room with the thin mattress and left her there to finally cry herself to sleep.</p><p>
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</p><p>Back in the other room, Shaw strutted. “How does it feel to be bested?” He gave a half-hearted kick to Kurt's midsection, with more power behind it than that of anyone else. Kurt coughed and groaned. “And by the very woman you deluded yourself into thinking you were saving.”</p><p>“Better to have delusions of kindness than of evil,” Kurt muttered, earning another blow.</p><p>“When Frost is done with you, you'll be working for us, too. Just like your dear Kitty Pryde. What a foolish, stupid, little girl,” he said as he stepped closer to Kurt and leaned down. “To think I'd let a prize like you go free.” He slammed a fist into the side of his head and knocked him out.</p><p>
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</p><p>Across the street, Rogue, Piotr, and Amanda landed the <em>Runner</em> in the park near the <em>Flit</em>. Amanda had snuck inside as the party wound down and seen Kitty being led away by a man she was fairly sure was Kurt using the image inducer. Bioscans indicated they were together. When more time passed and they didn't emerge, the team began to worry. Kurt had been in there much longer than necessary.</p><p>“He is in trouble,” Piotr said.</p><p>“Ah think Piotr's right,” Rogue said. “Y'all wanna go in and get him out?”</p><p>They all agreed and in a second, Amanda had them inside the building. They were immediately swarmed with guards. One had a magnetic inhibitor collar that, when thrown, clung to Colossus's neck and turned him human, rendering him easier to take down. Amanda took a blow to the head and fell. Rogue hung on longest, but she, too, eventually fell. Her last thought as they placed the inhibitor collar on her was that Shaw's people had been waiting for them. Kitty really <em>had</em> betrayed them.</p><p>
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</p><p>Her suspicions were confirmed when they were taken to the holding cells and Kurt was already there, unconscious, and collared. Piotr struggled uselessly against the cage, but gradually he and Rogue became sleepy.</p><p>“These cages,” Rogue murmured, “laced with some kinda...sleeping...”</p><p></p><div>
  <p class="sdfootnote"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote1anc" id="sdfootnote1sym" name="sdfootnote1sym">1</a>What's happening? Is this real? You're going along with this? I thought...</p>
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<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Unpleasant Answers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>In which there is a rescue attempt and the worst is behind us as far as the Hellfire Club's bad behavior.<br/>Please continue to use caution in case I've accidentally overlooked something.</p><p>Reader be safe.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Somehow, Kitty slept, though it wasn't peaceful. Nightmare's dream returned to her again, but this time there was no rescuing her teammates from the fire. There was only herself, standing in the middle of the flames until they devoured her, too. She woke when her door was slammed open and someone tossed a tray of food at her. “Eat,” said the guard. “You have fifteen minutes.”</p><p>She was starving, and she needed fuel if she was going to figure a way out of this place now that she'd sent Kurt away. Would he come for her again, after she had chosen to stay behind? Or would that be the final blow that sealed her fate? She ate as fast as she could, and finished just as the guard returned.</p><p>He dragged her down the hall, around several corners, and into a room full of computer equipment. What looked like the start of a Cerebro unit was already in place. Frost and Shaw were waiting for her.</p><p>“As you can see, this is our Cerebro,” Frost said. “Because of your failure, it has taken us much longer than anticipated to get it working. But you, dear, now have knowledge of how to do just that. And you will use that knowledge to complete the final steps on this unit.”</p><p>Shaw stepped forward, and Kitty shrank from him. “You will work until someone comes for you. I will be watching. If I think you're betraying us again, I'll simply kill you. Understand?”</p><p>She nodded and shoved her at the electronics when he passed. Frost left with him, not sparing a single glance for her.</p><p>Kitty spent the day trying to figure out what they'd already done with the Cerebro, and what she had still to do. She wasn't going to do what they wanted at all, but instead she'd set it up to fry the brains of anyone who tried to use it. While she worked, she'd stealthily hack into the Hellfire system. If she could get in without being noticed, she might be able to find out how to turn off the collar, the alarms, maybe even the surveillance. But it would take time. At least she seemed to have that in abundance now.</p><p>She continued to puzzle over their words. She didn't understand what Frost meant about already knowing, about working for them, helping them. None of it made sense, but she was sure Kurt would believe them. And if he did, then she couldn't go back to him. It meant she was truly alone.</p><p>
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</p><p>When Kurt woke, he was groggy, and his body ached. He remembered almost rescuing Kitty, and he remembered Shaw's attack. He looked around, eyes bleary and unable to focus. He saw shapes he assumed were people around him. Some looked vaguely like his friends, but he couldn't be sure. His mouth didn't seem to work, and he couldn't form words to call to them. And he was tired. So tired. He put his head down and went back to sleep.</p><p>
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</p><p>Two days passed before Kitty had fully hacked into the Hellfire system. She'd had to work slowly to avoid detection. Now that she was in, she might have a chance. As long as Shaw didn't see what she was doing, as long as she went back and forth from the computer to the Cerebro unit, making it look like she was working only on it, and making progress each day, she might be able to pull it off. What idiots to leave her in a room with a computer. There were guards at the door, but they didn't know what she was doing, either.</p><p>Once she was in the system, the first thing she did was pull up the security specs. There were pages and pages of them. She couldn't take out the surveillance feeds without him noticing, so she'd have to get the collar off first. She couldn't find anything to remotely disengage them, though. She needed a physical key. The guards all carried them, and she thought she might be able to get one.</p><p>Over the following two days, she flipped through the video feeds slowly, trying to narrow down the ones she'd have to take out, minimizing suspicion (she hoped). She found the security feed's homepage and spent too long studying it to find out which cameras she had to cut out to escape without notice.</p><p>“What are you doing?” one guard demanded, stomping over with a taser at the ready.</p><p>She looked up, furrowing her brows and pretending not to be afraid. “<em>Working</em>, you idiot, what do you think I'm doing?”</p><p>“What are you staring at?”</p><p>“See for yourself.” She showed him a screen full of binary code and he grunted. “Shaw said to watch you at the computer. You aren't to be trusted.” Story of her life, apparently. At least this time it was true. She smiled to herself and continued working.</p><p>She fiddled with the Cerebro shell for a while, trying to finalize her plan. She knew how to get herself free, and before she did, she'd release a virus into the Hellfire computer system.</p><p>
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</p><p>Kitty was close to being able to put her plan into action when Shaw ruined it. He showed up to the Cerebro room at the end of the week and stood watching her long enough to make her afraid.</p><p>“When this is finished, you'll bring us the Protocols. I know you can hack the Muir Island system from here.”</p><p>“Not the Protocol Room,” she said, refusing to look at him.</p><p>“Oh, but you can. <em>You</em> saw to it.”</p><p>Kitty growled. More suggestions of her working for them. “You assume I'll still do it.”</p><p>“You don't seem to understand. You have no choice. You <em>will</em> do what I say.”</p><p>“I won't. I don't care if you kill me.”</p><p>Shaw laughed so hard, Kitty actually became nervous.</p><p>“Oh, that will be arranged soon enough. But first you're going to finish what you were made to do. And if you try to fight the programming, <em>I'll kill your friends</em>.”</p><p>She froze.</p><p>Shaw laughed. “You honestly thought I'd let them go?”</p><p>“Them?” She hadn't meant to say it out loud.</p><p>He walked to the computer, and tapped a few keys. He pulled up a security feed and invited her to take a look. “See for yourself. So you <em>will</em> finish Cerebro. And you <em>will</em> bring me the Protocols. And you will do whatever else I ask of you, without complaint, without resistance.”</p><p>Kitty said nothing, staring at the screen and already trying to work out a new plan.</p><p>He grabbed her by the back of the neck. “Won't you?”</p><p>“Yes,” she hissed.</p><p>
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</p><p>When Shaw was finally convinced she was working and left, Kitty waited a while before getting back into the system. She had to find out where the holding cells were. She had to get them out as soon as possible. Shaw might kill them at any time Why had she ever believed him? Whatever they'd done to her, whatever this <em>programming</em> was he mentioned, she couldn't risk going back with them to Muir Island. She'd just free the others and stay here, and maybe they'd be safe. Maybe they'd have time to destroy the Protocols before she hacked her way in.</p><p>The next day, she paid close attention to where the guards' keys were. She had to take them out simultaneously, and she had to do it without drawing attention to the room. She made a few small adjustments to Cerebro so it wouldn't kill her, and she could use it to knock them out. She pretended to do several tests, slipping the helmet on and off a few times, going back and forth from the computer, praying she could pull this off.</p><p>There was no more time to wait. She set the security feed to loop, watching it through once to be satisfied that it would fool whoever was watching if they didn't look too closely. Then she put on the helmet, pressed a button, and watched the guards crumple.</p><p>She couldn't move as fast as she wanted with her ribs still healing, but she got the key off one of the guards and took a moment to think about where she had to go once she left the room. The staircase was down the hall and around a corner. She'd go down three levels, and along another hall, and hopefully she wouldn't be seen immediately. She didn't need much time, once she found them. But once they spotted her on the security feeds, they'd realize what she'd done and there would be no more time. Her hand on the doorknob trembled as she took a deep breath and ran.</p><p>She made it to the holding room, where the cells hung like bird cages, suspended in the air and swaying slightly. Everyone in them was asleep. Kitty heard pounding footsteps already close. She'd only have a few seconds, before the guards descended. She ran for Amanda's cage first, unlocked it, and dragged her out.</p><p>She had a collar on but it didn't matter. Amanda wasn't a mutant, she was a sorceress. Her teleport discs didn't rely on her power, but on magic. Kitty went to the other cages and unlocked them as Amanda began to stir.</p><p>The guards hit the door, pounding. She'd locked it from inside, but they'd have keys and that meant they had seconds, maybe.</p><p>“Amanda, wake <em>up</em>,” Kitty cried, as she frantically dragged Rogue from her cage. If she didn't wake up, this had all been in vain and she'd probably killed them.</p><p>Finally Amanda stirred. “Amanda listen to me. You have to get them all out of here, and you have to do it <em>now</em>.”</p><p>Piotr was too heavy for her to pull out of the cage by herself, so she went to Kurt next. She managed to get him out, while Amanda worked on Piotr's cage. Together, they got him out as the guards burst into the room.</p><p>“Go!” Kitty screamed as she ran towards the guards, hoping to distract them enough to give Amanda time to get the others free.</p><p>Kurt lifted a groggy head as Kitty screamed at Amanda to go. In a blaze of light, they vanished. Kitty sank to her knees, relieved that they were safe. Shaw was boiling with rage, roaring at the guards. He stormed into the room, Frost behind him, looking both angry and impressed.</p><p>“Apparently she did learn something in school,” Frost quipped, sending Shaw into more of a rage. His face was bright red and his eyes bulged. He swung at everything he saw. Even Frost backed away.</p><p>“You will pay for this,” he howled at Kitty.</p><p>“Fuck you, Shaw,” she said calmly. The last thing she remembered was his fist coming towards her face.</p><p>
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</p><p>Kitty heard people before she could see anything. Her face hurt and her eyes felt heavy. She didn't open them, wanting to sleep and hoping she'd be left alone long enough to hear something else. The collar around her neck dug painfully into her chin, but she didn't dare move. She was lying on something hard and cold with her hands trapped beneath her and. It smelled metallic. Probably one of the cages she'd just sprung her friends from. It didn't matter where she was. Kurt was safe. They were all safe. She had saved them, not betrayed them.</p><p>“You're awake at last,” Emma Frost said, and now Kitty opened her eyes.</p><p>No point pretending anymore, she thought as she cracked one eye open. She <em>was</em> in one of the cages. Their bars ran with something that made the occupants groggy, which explained why she couldn't seem to focus on anything for more than a second or two. Someone moved towards her, but her eyes were blurry and she could only make out blobs of white and pale peach. It had to be Frost.</p><p>“I had hoped you wouldn't be stupid enough to fight Mr. Shaw,” she said. “But you are so very willful, aren't you, Ms. Pryde.” Frost sounded almost sorry. “No wonder my telepathic programming was so unsuccessful.”</p><p>Kitty blinked in slow motion. One eye felt sticky and she wished she could rub it, but she felt too lethargic to move. She took a deep breath and yawned. Sleepiness wasn't what she needed, she had to be strong, she had to get out, but it was so hard. She yawned again.</p><p>“I really did like you, Kitty. If only you'd been more willing, more accepting of my help. You wouldn't be in this situation now.”</p><p>“Don't want your help,” Kitty mumbled.</p><p>“Oh, I know, darling.” She put her face close to the cage and Kitty could almost make out her features. “I know exactly what you want. And who.”</p><p>She felt Frost probing her thoughts. “What're you doing?” Kitty said, struggling through the sleepy haze in her mind.</p><p>“Oh, darling, I'm going to <em>make</em> you behave.”</p><p>Kitty wanted to resist, but whatever it was about the cages that made her sleepy wouldn't let her. No wonder the others hadn't tried to break out before she came to help. The thought was too difficult, like reaching for something in mud. It was so much easier to simply lie here and let Frost do whatever it was she was doing.</p><p>Kitty's cage swung a little as Frost began to work. Then the building rumbled. Kitty felt her pause in probing her mind as she looked around. Another rumble, and the cage swung forward, knocking Frost back several paces. She cursed and ran out of the room, leaving Kitty in the wildly swinging cage. Kitty realized that once again, she'd been abandoned with an inhibitor collar on in a building that was about to collapse on top of her.</p>
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<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Denied the Damsel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kurt awakened on the lawn of the Xavier School in Westchester, New York, wondering if he and Logan had just returned from some terrible, grueling mission and collapsed in the yard. Or had they been at Harry's Hideaway drinking and passed out on their way home? His mouth didn't taste like alcohol. He rubbed his eyes and opened them as memories began to fill in the gaps in his brain. Amanda was there, holding Piotr's hand as he sat up, looking as bleary as Kurt felt. Rogue was there, too. Then he felt his neck, and the collar that was still there, and he remembered.</p><p>“Where's Kitty?” He got to his feet, shaking off the remains of the grogginess.</p><p>“She didn't come,” Amanda said.</p><p>“Why?” he demanded, rubbing his head. “Why didn't you bring her?”</p><p>“I couldn't, Kurt. They already had her. It was us or no one.”</p><p>“Then you should have left us!” He paced to a tree and stood thinking, hand on his chin and tail whipping back and forth in anxiety.</p><p>“She made sure we got away!” Amanda yelled back.</p><p>Rogue came over, still yawning, but awake. Like the rest of them, she still wore the collar, but they'd get them off soon enough, now that they were at the Xavier School.</p><p>“Kurt,” she said, “Ah know you're upset. But we ain't going to abandon her. We're going back.”</p><p>He put his hands on his hips. “<em>Ja</em>, we are. <em>Danke</em>.” He paused. “It wasn't her fault. Frost...”</p><p>“We know, Kurt. Frost was using her. Had her fingers all up in her brain.” She touched his hand, able to do so safely with the collar on, robbing them all of their powers. “Hug me before we get Hank to take these damn things off.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Hank and the rest of the X-Men were happy to see them, even Piotr and Amanda who'd left on questionable terms. Enough time had passed, and Kurt seemed to have forgiven them, that the others could put their differences aside. Once Kurt had explained the situation, the team was eager to help get Kitty back, and do a little damage along the way.</p><p>It was a quick trip to the New York Club, and when they arrived, they wasted no time disabling their exterior security. Ororo's lightning shorted their entire electrical system out, and Piotr ripped the front door off its hinges. After that, it was general chaos, with guards seeming to crawl out of the walls, and the two teams methodically taking them down.</p><p>Kurt was here to get Kitty back, and he couldn't do that fighting flunkies while Frost and Shaw whisked her away to who knew where. As soon as he caught an opening, he raced into the halls, lit by dull emergency lighting. He let loose his frustration on any guards who got in his way. Kurt never fought to kill, but he left none standing.</p><p>He guessed he was close when he saw Emma Frost emerge from a heavy steel door. He braced his psychic shields for her attack, but she bolted down another hall instead. Either she knew she was beaten, or there was someone worse waiting behind the door. He leaped to the ceiling and waited. The door was ajar, and no one was attacking him yet. From the ceiling he swung the door fully open. When he saw no one in the corridor, he dropped to the floor and ran through.</p><p>
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</p><p>The building continued to rumble and groan around her, and Kitty blinked as she came fully awake. Chunks of the ceiling fell around her, bits landing in the cage and sticking in her hair. Frost was gone, and Kitty was alone. She had to get out of the cage, but she'd lost the brooch when they caught her pulling it off the corset. Each time the building shook and boomed, more plaster fell, giving her an idea. Kitty began to swing the cage as hard as she could. More and more bits of ceiling rained down. There was a sudden lurch, as the bolt in the plaster ceiling began to fail. The cage fell with a crash, jolting her against the bars. She yelped as her body rang out in pain, but there was no time to deal with that. Kitty pushed at the door, now bent out of shape. Clenching her teeth, she braced her feet on the door and kicked until it burst open.</p><p>She crawled out, her entire body throbbing with bruises and aches. She forced herself to her feet and ran. The hallway was empty, but she could hear noises in the distance, elsewhere in the building. The floor shook beneath her feet, and she wondered if it was an earthquake or if they were being attacked. She paused at a junction in the hall, debating whether to run out the front or back door, then made a decision. They were fighting at the front of the building, and she couldn't phase. She'd go out the back.</p><p>A door swung open to her left and Nick stepped out, his handsome face leering at her.  "Leaving so soon?"</p><p>Kitty's back stiffened.  She'd had about all she could take of haughty Nick Kensington.  "Yeah.  I am."</p><p>He stepped towards her and she swung her fist with every ounce of strength she had, catching him high on the cheek with a loud crack.  He stumbled back, mouth open in shock.  Kitty wasted no time with a kick to his gut that doubled him over, and a knee to the side of his head.  She left him sprawled on the thick Hellfire Club carpeting.  "Jackass," she snarled as she ran.</p><p>Kitty turned the corner to run towards the garage at the rear, each step sending jolts of pain through her back and side. There was a puff of brimstone and she slammed into Kurt's chest. She stepped back gasping in surprise and joy, and then launched herself at him again. She grabbed him and he nearly lifted her off the ground, spouting a string of German she couldn't understand. Then he took her face in his hands and kissed her forehead and her cheeks and her lips, hard and fast and desperate, the frantic kind that stems from fear and worry and relief. Kitty just held on, her hands locked in his uniform.</p><p>“Kätzchen, <em>danke Gott, danke Gott,</em>” he repeated.</p><p>“Kurt,” she sobbed, “What's going on?”</p><p>For a heartbeat, she thought he might let go of her, and she grabbed at him fiercely, but he only adjusted his grip so he could see her.</p><p>“I brought some friends to help me get you out. They've effectively taken out this branch of the Hellfire Club, at least for the time being, and now we can go home.”</p><p>Home. He was going to take her home. Then the tears did spring to her eyes as she realized she could not go with him. She shook her head, holding him even as she told him to leave her behind.</p><p>“Kurt, you <em>can't</em> take me back. Frost did something to me, I did things I don't remember, you can't trust me—”</p><p>“I know, Kätzchen,” he said softly. “It isn't your fault.”</p><p>“But...”</p><p>“At least let me take us outside?” Kurt said.</p><p>Kitty agreed and the purple smoke surrounded her.</p><p>“Here we are,” he said.</p><p>The building was across the street now, and she peeled herself away from Kurt to see the damage. The whole structure shook, and she could see now what had happened. Someone had smashed through the exterior wall in several places, effectively destabilizing it.</p><p>Kurt put his hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him again. In the sunlight, he inspected the swollen bruise on her face, its highlights of purple still growing, surrounded by mottled bits of red and blue.</p><p>“Shaw did this,” he said, not a question.</p><p>“I'm sorry he hurt you,” Kitty said. “I don't know why I thought he'd let you go. I was trying to—”</p><p>“It doesn't matter, <em>liebchen</em>. I've dealt with him enough times to know his games. I should have realized the room would be full of inhibitor tech.” He spotted a bench and took her to it. Inside the Hellfire Club building, the X-Men were still battling their henchmen, but the noises were dwindling and the fight would soon be over.</p><p>“I know what Frost did to you,” Kurt said. “Too many things didn't add up, and when I heard her talking to you in her office, I—”</p><p>“You heard?”</p><p>“I was at the window.”</p><p>She quickly looked down at her hands, twisting them in her lap the way she had done when he first knew her. He was as angry at Shaw and Frost for that as for the bruises.</p><p>“I didn't mean the things I said.”</p><p>“I know you didn't,” he said. “It was a good strategy, to try and fool her.”</p><p>“It didn't work.”</p><p>“No, but you tried. And the things you said made it clear to me you were lying to her. Did you know I was there?”</p><p>“No,” she said. “I thought I was on my own.”</p><p>“Now you know you were not. But at that point, I didn't know what was going on, and I was alone. I needed a plan before I rushed inside. Unfortunately, as you know, it didn't work out quite so well.”</p><p>“Thank you for coming for me. For not abandoning me, in spite of everything.”</p><p>“Even if I had known you were working for her, I would have come for you.”</p><p>Kitty made a gulping sound, and he thought she might cry, but she didn't. “It's not safe to take me back with you,” she said instead.</p><p>“Why is that?”</p><p>“I don't know what she did to me. I don't even know what I've <em>done</em>, and I don't trust myself anymore.”</p><p>“The X-Men have dealt with such issues before. Give me a chance to help you first, and then...whatever you decide, I will stand by you. Fair?”</p><p>Kitty nodded after some consideration. “Okay. Fair.”</p><p>
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</p><p>The teams emerged from the Hellfire building talking and laughing, having finished what they'd set out to do. The building was in ruins, the Club goons were on the run or knocked out, and Kitty was free.</p><p>“Shaw's gone,” Scott said, coming over to stand beside Kurt and Kitty at the bench. “Frost, too.”</p><p>“No matter,” Kurt said. “Thank you for your help. Scott, this is Kitty Pryde.”</p><p>“Nice to meet you, Kitty.”</p><p>A redhead Kitty recognized from her school books as Jean Grey hurried over. “Scott, they've got some kind of Cerebro unit in there.”</p><p>“Where'd they get that?” he asked.</p><p>“They built it,” Kitty said. “That's what they wanted me to work on.”</p><p>“Did you finish it?” Scott said.</p><p>“Sort of.”</p><p>He turned back to Jean, and Kitty remembered that they were married. “We'll take it back with us. I'll get some of the—”</p><p>“No!” Kitty said. “Don't!”</p><p>Scott and Jean both gaped at her, and Kurt put his arm over her shoulder. “Relax, Kätzchen, they know what they're doing.” To Scott and Jean, he said, “Emma Frost has placed telepathic programs in her mind—”</p><p>She shrugged his arm off and glared. “I didn't finish Cerebro,” she said. “But if you try to use it, something very bad will happen. I don't know if it'll kill you or what.”</p><p>“What did you do?” Jean asked.</p><p>“I sure as hell didn't do what they wanted me to do. I was programming it to fry Emma Frost's brain.”</p><p>After a moment of shocked silence, they all laughed. Kitty felt her face heating and her throat tightening as all three of them laughed at her.</p><p>“You truly are a genius, Kätzchen,” Kurt said, and he kissed the top of her head.</p><p>They weren't making fun of her, they were laughing at the trick she'd played on Frost. Her smile slowly returned.</p><p>“Well done, Kitty,” Scott said. He nodded at her, clapped Kurt on the shoulder, and wandered over to Piotr, passing Ororo on the way.</p><p>Ororo sat down on Kitty's other side. After her own introduction, she said, “We have heard a lot about you, Kitten. Kurt has told me what a computer genius you are.”</p><p>She wasn't honestly sure how to respond to such a statement, so she said nothing.</p><p>“I think the Hellfire Club understands they should leave our friends alone. What do you think, Kurt?”</p><p>She gestured at the ruined building, and Kurt followed her gaze. One wall was held up only by metal posts, the bricks entirely torn away. The once-grand door was smashed on the ground, windows were broken out, and there was smoke rising from the back of the building. In the distance, sirens sounded.</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, I think that will do for now,” he said and hugged Ororo. “Thank you, <em>meine Freundin<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote1sym" id="sdfootnote1anc" name="sdfootnote1anc"><sup>1</sup></a></em>.”</p><p>“It was our pleasure. Will you be joining us at the school?”</p><p>Kurt glanced at Kitty, her bruised face and ribs, and whatever Emma had done in her head, that he couldn't see. “We are. We have need of a doctor and a telepath.”</p><p>“Excellent,” Ororo said with a smile. “Jean, you're available?”</p><p>Jean nodded and smiled at Kitty. “Of course.”</p><p>“Thank you. Scott will stay and deal with the authorities. Why don't you ride with us?” Ororo said, as she stood up with perfect grace.</p><p>He looked at Kitty. She seemed tired, and there was a look about her eyes that reminded him of the first time he met her, when she was clearly scared but just as determined, if not more so. She was much stronger than she realized. He was sure if he didn't kiss her soon he would burst into flames.</p><p>“That will be fine, Ororo, thank you.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Kitty had seen the Xavier School in photographs and on the news, but never in person. It was huge, a sprawling complex that had been destroyed and repaired numerous times so that it hardly resembled the original structure. Ororo led the way inside, talking to Kurt mostly, but never excluding Kitty. Kitty felt an immediate kinship with her, and warmed up to her quickly.</p><p>“Here's our infirmary, Kitten,” she said. “Hank McCoy will take good care of you, and Jean will be here shortly to help with Frost's meddling.”</p><p>Kitty remembered reading about Dr. McCoy. Furry and blue, and far more beast-like than Kurt, whose fur shone sleek and velvety over lean limbs. Hank was much more burly. She recognized him when she went inside, Kurt staying at her elbow until he'd introduced her to Hank.</p><p>While Kurt waited outside, he called Moira to give her the latest update on the situation.</p><p>“Kurt, thank god. We've all been worried sick. Brian even tried to contact the London Club to see what he could learn, but of course they all clamped up tight when he started asking.”</p><p>“Everything's fine Moira. We found Kitty and Hank's helping her now. She's a little beat up, and a little telepathically manipulated, but Jean is here. I'm sure we'll get that straightened out soon, too.”</p><p>“So that's what happened.”</p><p>“<em>Ja</em>, apparently so. Frost indicated she'd done a little mental programming, and apparently Kitty was unaware of certain things she was doing. When I find out more, I'll let you know. But rest easy now, we're at the Xavier School.”</p><p>“And the others? You? Is everyone else all right?”</p><p>“We are all fine, Moira. We'll be heading home in a few days. I think we'll rest up here first.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Hank took x-rays of Kitty's ribs and informed her that they were not broken, only badly bruised. The worst of the pain was past her already and she'd be feeling better soon. Her face would take some time to heal, but he suggested ice and gave her some painkillers for when it got too bad. The rest of her injuries were minor in comparison. She had bruises where Shaw had gripped her arm, and a few on her back from falling in the cage.</p><p>Jean came in as Hank finished, and explained what she was going to do in a gentle, pleasant way that made it seem far less frightening than it might otherwise.</p><p>“We'll stay right here, and you can lie down and relax. As long as you don't fight me, it won't even hurt,” she said.</p><p>“Will it take a long time?”</p><p>“It depends on how extensive the work is. Hopefully not too long.”</p><p>“Then you should tell Kurt to go eat or something.”</p><p>“I can tell him, but I doubt he'll go. When it concerns his friends, he can be rather stubborn. I could invite him in if you like.”</p><p>“Sure. In fact, he should be here anyway, to see what she did. To prove...” She couldn't quite finish the sentence.</p><p>“Kitty,” Hank said, “I understand this is novel for you, but honestly, when you deal with telepaths on a daily basis, this type of manipulation is fairly mundane. A number of us have been under the influence of mental manipulation of various types before. We certainly don't hold you responsible for your actions or thoughts while under Frost's control.”</p><p>Jean smiled pleasantly, but it was Kurt's grin that caught her attention as he walked over to Hank. The two of them looked almost ridiculous standing together, so similar and yet so different as they leaned against the counter and talked quietly. Kurt looked so relaxed and happy, and it put her at ease, too.</p><p>“Lie down please,” Jean instructed. “It could be tiring and I don't want you to fall.”</p><p>
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</p><p>An hour later, Kitty felt as though she was waking up from a nap, one in which she had not rested at all. She was exhausted, and Jean looked tired too. No one seemed anxious, though, so Kitty took that as a good sign.</p><p>“It's all over, Kitty,” Jean said when Kitty opened her eyes. “She had some programming in there and a pretty strong psychic link. I think that's how she was controlling you.”</p><p>“Could you see what I did?”</p><p>“Yes. Kurt kept a list.”</p><p>“There were that many?”</p><p>Kurt held up the list. “Mostly small things, but a few bigger ones. Like trying to access the Protocol Room every day.”</p><p>“That really was me?”</p><p>“I'm afraid so. But no harm was done—you never got through,” Kurt said.</p><p>“Yes,” Jean said, “It seems for all her psychic conditioning, you resisted it rather well. I put in a few psychic shields while I was in there, so it will be much harder for her to control you if you meet up with her again. And from a distance, it should be impossible.”</p><p>Kitty probed her own mind, trying to feel the shields. There was nothing she could feel, not in a physical way, but there were memories and understanding she hadn't had before. She knew now that she'd run because Frost had wanted her to. She hadn't found the techno-organic circuitry because Frost had kept her blind to it. She'd tried every night to hack into the Protocol Room and every day she'd increased the security just past her level of expertise. Some of the damage was irreversible, such as Frost picking her brain to learn how to put together the Cerebro unit, but it was something that would be dealt with later.</p><p>When Kitty was ready to leave, she thanked Jean and Hank, and Kurt showed her to the kitchen. She sank into a chair by the window, where a table for four was shoved against the wall. All those X-Men, and their table was smaller than the one on Muir Island.</p><p>“Let's see who's been cooking, shall we?” Kurt said as he opened the refrigerator. “Ah, this looks good.”</p><p>He warmed up whatever was in the pan, and when Kitty smelled it, her stomach growled loudly. Kurt dished up two plates and left the pan out. Kitty was reminded of a time she'd sat in a kitchen with him, scared and confused, and he'd cooked and fed her while he explained that her life wasn't over.</p><p>“How are you feeling?” he asked.</p><p>“Tired. Angry. Relieved. Kind of a little of everything.”</p><p>He let her eat before asking her the question Kitty was waiting for.</p><p>“What do you want to do?”</p><p>“I don't think it's up to me,” she said. Her plate was empty and her stomach was full, and she was so tired. Her aches and pains were starting to make themselves known, now that all the excitement was over.</p><p>“Yes, it is. You're under no obligation to anyone. Jean and Hank both gave you a clean bill of health, so you have nothing to fear if you want to return to Excalibur. No one blames you. If you'd rather stay here, I have it on good faith that Ororo and Scott would welcome you to their team. And,” he took a soft breath, “if you want to go to school, Scott told me Jubilee ransacked Frost's office and found all your final grades and a certificate of graduation.”</p><p>Kitty's mouth dropped open and her hands trembled. “She what...?”</p><p>Kurt was torn between happiness for her and sadness for him. He was certain he knew what she would choose.</p><p>“I could go to school?” she said. “I could reapply, some might let me in again...”</p><p>“I'm sure they would accept you gladly.”</p><p>He watched her face light up while she thought about it, her fingers laying across her mouth in shock and joy. She was going to leave him, and it would have to be all right. He would not do or say anything to discourage her. This had always been her dream. This had been stolen from her, and now it was returned.</p><p>Kurt took their plates to the dishwasher and put the pan back in the refrigerator. Some of his friends were gathering in the adjoining room to watch a movie, and he thought he might like to join them. Especially if Kitty was leaving. He'd want something to distract him.</p><p>Kitty got up and took his hand. “I wonder if I could do both,” she said.</p><p>“Do both what, Kätzchen?”</p><p>“School and...” she hesitated. “And the team. Excalibur.”</p><p>“I know you could,” he said, his heart beginning to race at the possibility she might return with him after all.</p><p>“Would you mind, though? I don't want to leave you. Excalibur.” She swallowed. “You.”</p><p>“Mind? Would I...” He hugged her. “No. I would not mind at all. I would love if you stayed on the team and attended school.”</p><p>Kitty began to cry, happy tears at first, and then from the sheer buildup of stress over time. She cried until Kurt's uniform was soaked and her side and face ached. When she was finished, she felt immeasurably better, resting her good cheek against him while she caught her breath. She let out a last, tremulous sigh and stood up straight, wiping her eyes.</p><p>“I think I'd better skip the movie,” she said. “I'm really tired.”</p><p>“Of course, Kätzchen. Let's go find you a room. There are plenty; I'm sure one will be free.”</p><p>“You used to have a room here, didn't you?” she said. She wondered if they turned former X-Men's rooms into art rooms and storage, like families did when their kids moved out.</p><p>“I probably still do. Would you like to see?”</p><p>He took her upstairs and they walked along the hall to a door that was shut, but not locked. Kurt tapped lightly, a courtesy only. Then he pushed open the door and turned on the light.</p><p>“As I remember it,” he said. “Probably cleaner.”</p><p>There were jungle gym bars over the entire ceiling, and a floor to ceiling stone fireplace at one end. Errol Flynn posters covered the walls, next to various swords on display. It was a lot like his room in Scotland, only bigger.</p><p>“I used to work out every night on those bars,” he said, looking up.</p><p>“Do you miss it?”</p><p>“No. I have the gym. Here, it was useful because there were so many people wanting to use the Danger Room, and I couldn't always reserve it for gymnastics and acrobatics.”</p><p>Kitty yawned. They went back into the hall, where Ororo was just shutting a door.</p><p>“Ah, Kitten, I made up a room for you, and left you a nightshirt. You look tired.”</p><p>“I am.”</p><p>Kurt kissed her cheek and bid her good night, about to follow Ororo down the hall. Kitty grabbed his arm.</p><p>“Wait. I...Are you going to be in that other room? Your old room?”</p><p>“Yes, I was planning to sleep there.”</p><p>“Okay.” She nodded. “Okay. Thanks.”</p><p>“Is everything all right?”</p><p>“Yeah. I...”</p><p>He stepped close, and the ill-fitting clothes she'd been given when Hank examined her felt uncomfortable against her skin. She wanted to feel velvet instead.</p><p>“You can tell me anything,” he said, and he was so serious she believed him.</p><p>“I don't want to sleep in here.”</p><p>His expression never changed, but something did. She could feel it in the air. Then he smiled. “I see. You want the best room in the whole mansion, don't you?”</p><p>He was teasing, and it did more to alleviate her nerves than anything else so far, she was sure. If Kurt was joking around, then there was nothing to be afraid of anymore. “I have good taste,” she muttered.</p><p>“I cannot argue with that,” he said. “Three doors down whenever you're ready.”</p><p>“Will you be there?” she said, her stomach filling with butterflies.</p><p>He paused, barely. “Yes.”</p><p>
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</p><p>He left the door open for her, but she still stood outside in the hallway for long seconds, calming her breathing and reminding herself she only wanted to sleep. It was <em>fine</em>. Finally she stepped into the doorway. Kurt was in his pajamas, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, flipping through channels on an ancient, ten-inch television.</p><p>“I wondered how long you were going to stand out there,” he said.</p><p>“How did you know?”</p><p>“I heard your door shut a while ago.” He glanced up at her casually, then patted the mattress beside him. “Have a seat. I thought I'd watch an old favorite to relax. Is that all right?”</p><p>“Yeah. Of course.” She sat down and yawned, and the pillow was so inviting.</p><p>She crept towards it, while he made room for her. The bed smelled clean, and nothing like Kurt. In spite of the swirling thoughts in her head, fatigue was too strong, and she fell asleep before Kurt ever lay down to hold her.</p><p>
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</p><p>Kurt sat up a while, only partly watching the movie. The other half of him was thinking about Kitty, curled up in his bed, her breathing soft and even against his pillow. He finally gave up on the movie and stretched out beside her, keeping his distance until she rolled over and pressed her back into his chest. Her hair stuck to his fur and he stroked it, patting it down to avoid inhaling it. He put his arm over her, gently, tentatively, and she tucked it under her own.</p><p>The next night, they all stayed up far too late talking and drinking. Wolverine enjoyed having someone new to tell his stories to, and the rest of them enjoyed making fun of those same stories. Kitty sat between Kurt and Ororo, laughing and feeling like she belonged with these people. Kurt's hand on her shoulder or her back or her knee was always warm, and Ororo's soft voice was comforting. She tipped her head against Kurt's shoulder and laughed at something Bobby said.</p><p>Ororo stood up at last. “I think we should all head upstairs to bed.” No one argued.</p><p>Once again Kurt stood outside Kitty's door with her, and once again she seemed reluctant to go inside. Kurt reached for her hand. “Would you like to stay with me again tonight?”</p><p>When they left for Scotland, Kitty's bed hadn't been slept in once. She told herself she'd saved the housekeepers a little bit of work.</p><p> </p><p></p><div>
  <p class="sdfootnote"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote1anc" id="sdfootnote1sym" name="sdfootnote1sym">1</a>Feminine form of “my friend”</p>
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<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Home at Last</h2></a>
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    <p>Moira, Brian, Meggan, Douglock, and Rahne were all waiting when the team arrived home a few days later. They had stayed in New York long enough for Kurt and Piotr to visit with old friends, mend some broken friendships and rekindle others, and introduce Kitty to all of the X-Men. Rogue managed at long last to convince Remy that he should come with her and join Excalibur, which Kurt agreed to. Kitty learned that he and Remy LeBeau hadn't always gotten along, but according to Rogue, Kurt cared more about her than about his ego.</p><p>Kitty and Ororo had become fast friends, and she'd met the infamous Wolverine. He had frightened her at first, but he was nice to her, and seemed more inclined to sit around and drink beer with Kurt than chase people down with adamantium claws.</p><p>Hank and Jean both gave Kitty another checkup before she left, and again pronounced her healthy in every way they could determine. Jean couldn't detect any of Frost's lingering effect, and Hank noted that her bruises were all fading nicely. Her face hurt a lot less, and her side no longer ached every time she moved.</p><p>After a round of friendly, happy greetings from their Excalibur teammates, Moira made an announcement.</p><p>“I've decided to destroy the Protocols. This whole situation has brought home for me just how dangerous it is to have them here. I've had Brian install a few small devices in the room, but I hoped Kitty would deal with the actual computer parts.”</p><p>“Then we'll blow up the room,” Brian said.</p><p>“You probably don't need to do that if you destroy the hard drive,” Kitty said.</p><p>“It's more a matter of sending a message,” Moira said.</p><p>Remy listened, arms folded, fiddling with a playing card while they talked. “What are dese Protocols?”</p><p>“Ah'll tell you later,” Rogue said. “Trust me. They need to go.”</p><p>The demolitions were scheduled for after lunch. Brian's bombs wouldn't do any damage to the rest of the building, just to the rest of the equipment in the actual room. Being built stronger than a standard bomb shelter meant the Research Center shouldn't feel a thing. Kitty hoped he was right. She was done with crumbling buildings.</p><p>
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</p><p>After the demolition, the team sat around toasting good times and new teammates. The sky outside the windows began to darken, and stars came out, visible in the cloudless sky. Kitty hadn't realized how rare it was to see them the way she had that night, so soon after she'd been adopted by Excalibur, when she and Kurt had laid in the dark and he'd told her about the Protocol Room.</p><p>She left the rest of them to go outside now, almost to the cliff. She looked up, admiring the swath of stars and the bright white of the moon, almost full. When Kurt joined her, she could even see him, sort of.</p><p>“Thinking of running away to the stars?” he said.</p><p>“I wasn't then, and I'm still not,” she replied. “There's plenty of excitement here.”</p><p>“And more to come, I'm sure.”</p><p>“As long as you're here, I can handle it.”</p><p>He touched her cheek, dragging the backs of his fingers along it until her eyes drifted half-closed and she leaned into his hand. “I always thought being a team leader meant shouldering everything on my own. Then you arrived and suddenly, I didn't want to do that anymore.”</p><p>“I'm glad. You shouldn't have to.”</p><p>“I told you things I hadn't talked about to anyone in years, sometimes. Things I kept inside because they hurt to think about. You made it easier.”</p><p>Kitty raised her eyes to meet his and put her arms around his waist until there was no space between them except for words.</p><p>“If you hadn't brought me on board the <em>Runner</em> when the Black Air building blew, I don't know where I would have gone. Probably back to the London Club. You saved my life that day.”</p><p>Kurt's grip tightened, and she felt his lips brush her ear when he spoke.</p><p>“And you saved my heart.”</p><p>She wasn't afraid anymore as she tipped her chin and reached up to run her fingers through his hair and along his jaw. She laid her hand flat on his chest, feeling the fuzz flatten under his shirt.</p><p>“I really love you,” Kitty said, breathing faster. Kurt's heart beat under her fingers seemed to fly.</p><p>“Kätzchen,” he said, and coiled his tail tighter around her leg. “I love you. I am glad you came home.”</p><p>His lips touched hers, soft yet firm, a perfect fit. Kitty put her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. His tail was coiled around her calf and his arms held her close. The stars twinkled above them, but Kitty wasn't looking anymore.</p>
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